


Can't Say a Word

by wolfpawn



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Bullying, Gen, Not Slash, Violence, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-06
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-18 02:16:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/555774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfpawn/pseuds/wolfpawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU - David Rossi goes to Emerson Sanatorium just outside DC to interview a schizophrenic patient Spencer Reid institutionalised for the brutal murder of his parents. Upon meeting the young man, Rossi realises all is not what it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Background

**Author's Note:**

> Based very loosely on the 2001 film Don't Say a Word with a dash of my own weird dreams included. 
> 
> I do not own CM.
> 
> I would like to take this chance to apologise for spelling and grammar errors within this story. I am not the greatest and perhaps I should have got it Beta'd but I didn't. I may use terms and words some readers do not understand, I am Irish, so I tend to use Irish and on occasion European phrases many others would not use. I will not apologise for my use of these words, and recommend that if you have any issues, resort to Google for clarification (I have to do it with other works from other countries. ) and not just comment about it to me, I get it, Americans use different words, that is neither my fault or concern. Sorry if that seems nasty, but I am sick of people negatively criticising my work solely because I say chips instead of fries, etc and not for a legitimate reason.

There was a lot of things David Rossi had seen in his long and illustrious career in the FBI, but this was a new one, even for him. Twenty four year old Spencer Reid had been in three different mental health facilities in the past eight years. He had displayed the classic tell-tale signs of PTSD after a neighbour called to his home one evening to see the young man standing over the mutilate bodies of his parents, covered in their blood. Over time his PTSD began to evolve and he seemed to take on signs of paranoid schizophrenia, a disease his mother was suffering from since he was two. He had been placed in the care of the state who, though there was substantial enough evidence to charge the boy with the murders of his parents, a mercy killing of his sick mother and a vengeful killing of his father, they felt that after a psychological assessment, the young man was in no fit state to stand trial and was instead committed to a sanatorium. 

He was a model patient in all three facilities he had stayed in, taking his medications and being in no way bothersome, until last week, when he brutally assaulted the newest member of staff at the Emerson Sanatorium, where he was residing. He bit the man’s ear off and had even gotten at his throat. The usually docile patient had been terrified since. Huddling in a corner, barely taking time to eat and sleep, staying ever vigilant. Not letting anyone near him and not even trusting the members of staff he had so long had good rapport with. 

Usually such a case would not warrant the renowned FBI’s Behaviour Analysis Units involvement, but since the event the man’s behaviour made the hospital feel that a closer look into the young man’s ability to stand trial and his part his parent’s deaths was warranted. Hotch had presented the case to Rossi, who would interview the young man. If the rest of his team was needed, they would be called in. Thankfully it was a simple forty five minute drive each way to the facility and he was in the frame of mind best suited for the situation. Or so he thought.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCM

He got himself sorted at the main desk of the somewhat sterile looking facility. He was not permitted his gun, nor was he allowed any jewellery, belt or sharp objects. David Rossi began to see the line between hospital and prison blur as he noted the chilling similarities between the two. He followed the nurse through the halls until he came to the doctor in charge of Spencer Reid. 

“Dr Mitre, I am here to see Spencer Reid.” The Italian declared as he shook the doctor’s hand. 

“Thank you for coming. I know this sounds odd but there is just something not right about him since last week.” The older doctor explained as he shook the agent’s hand.

“How so?” Rossi sat on the chair opposite the doctor as he waited for more information of the man he was about to attempt to talk to. 

“Well he has always been somewhat dysfunctional, he wouldn’t be here otherwise. He would have stood trial. But the last week his behaviour has been uncharacteristic to say the least.”

“About the parents, I read the file and it said the mother was ill with the same illness he has and that it is assumed he killed her out of mercy or pity.”

“Or anger. His father had had enough of his wife and her illness and seldom bothered to help care for her, leaving the son to bath and clothe her, feed her, and care for her in every other capacity; perhaps he had met his limit. Sixteen year old boys are not renowned for their restraint.” The doctor theoreticized to Rossi. 

“And the father?”

“He was cheating on the mother, if you could call it that; she was not aware of what was going on around her, but he was not helping with her care, Spencer perhaps thought to get rid of him too?” suggested the doctor. 

Rossi knew that it was very much a possibility; he had seen other cases that were somewhat similar before. “So what is so different now, what needed the detective from that case to think to call us in?”

“Now in my line of work I have seen a lot of schizophrenics and a paranoid one is one of the more common patients, but there is just something about Spencer’s paranoia these last few days that is even drastic for his condition. For it to escalate to this level so drastically is unparalleled.” The doctor elaborated. 

“And all because he took some dislike to your newest member of staff?”

“Yes, Larry had only joined the staff here a mere two days before. It was his first encounter with Spencer. I was not in the room at the time. We have had three changes to our staff since Spencer arrived and he adapted almost immediately to them. He would be quiet and say nothing to them for a few weeks before slowly they would earn his trust, but with Larry, he entered the room with a food tray and according to the orderly down the hall who was closest, he just heard Larry say ‘hello Spencer’ followed by the man screaming. He ran down the hall followed by two other orderlies and a doctor and when they arrived to the room, they found Spencer with his teeth and hands to the man’s throat. His ear torn off and blood everywhere. 

Rossi grimaced at the scene the doctor had described. “Isn’t it normal for people with that illness to be prone to violent outbursts?”

“In many cases yes, but they would show signs of violence beforehand. Spencer did not.”

“With all due respect Doctor. You just informed me a few minutes ago that this young man brutally slaughtered his own parents, I would most certainly see that as a sign of violence.” The Italian said bluntly. “How was he at school?”

“Exceptionally bright apparently. But socially, he was tortured by his peers. Many believe, myself included, that an event that had occurred earlier that week was the cause of him killing his parents.”

“What happened?”

“He was stripped naked by his classmates and tied to a goal post.” David stared at the doctor in disbelief. 

Rossi’s eyebrows shot up at the additional information. “Bright kid, sick mother, lazy ass cheat for a father and bullied relentlessly. He never stood a chance.” He frowned to himself. “Well, I think I better meet this kid and establish what it is that set him off and altered him so much.” Rossi rose from his chair, encouraging the doctor to do the same. 

They headed through the halls of the hospital, stopping six times to open locked doors on their way, down a corridor and headed to the young man’s room. The doctor unbolted the door and the two men went into the small cold room. 

David Rossi gasped at the sight that greeted them while the doctor called out for the emergency medical team.


	2. Spencer's act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was wrong with Spencer, Rossi becomes even more suspicious and wants to talk to the younger man even more now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All these chapters will be short and not always very sweet.

David Rossi ran over to the limp body of the young man on the other side of the room. He checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one, though it seemed weak. He looked up and down; the kid was so thin, frail and pasty looking. He clearly hadn’t eaten anything substantial since the week before. Rossi took one of the younger man’s wrists and went to put him in the recovery position when he felt a warm sticky substance on his hands; he looked down to see his own hands marked in deep crimson, blood. He pulled up Spencer’s sleeves and noticed both arms were covered in deep scratched and nails marks. 

“He’s self-harming.” The doctor noted angrily. “And for a few days I see.”

“It’s not intentional.” Rossi commented. Mitre looked at him sceptically. “It’s only a means to an end. He was pinching himself to keep himself awake. I saw it in ‘Nam, heck I did it myself. It’s a common soldier’s technique when the adrenaline drops off and you still have to stay alert.” He looked at the young man as he put him into the recovery position. “Why though is the question?”

“Why what?”

“Why is he so desperate not to let his guard down, forgive me if I’m wrong but usually paranoid schizophrenics that haven’t taken any medications are not capable of having enough soundness of mind to eat and drink barely enough to survive and to perform tasks that require such thought patterns as to think of ways to stay alert from an era he was not even born in.” Rossi looked at the patient as the medical staff brought him to the hospital wing. 

“Normally no, that’s why I called you in. Something is not right.” The doctor acknowledged. He showed Rossi to a bathroom where he could wash the specks of blood off his hands. 

After which rang the Unit Chief back in Quantico. “So, what is your opinion?” Hotch asked. 

“I’ll let you know when I talk to him.” Was the Italian’s response. 

“What do you mean?” the SAC demanded.

Rossi recited what had occurred when he went to meet Spencer Reid. “I’m going to be honest Aaron; there is something exceptionally peculiar about this. It’s not sitting with me at all. I really want to talk to this kid.”

“Well call us if you need anything Dave. We’ve no cases planned.” And with that the phone call ended. Rossi walked towards the hospital wing, waiting to see the status of the young Spencer Reid. 

CMCMCMCMCMCM

Spencer had never felt so dizzy. All he could think about was the painful twisting in his stomach as he body attempted to cope without any real sustenance for the sixth day in a row. He knew exactly how much water and salts he required to stay alive. And he had taken the chance to nap intermittently at the times that the orderlies, nurses and doctors changed shifts and when the security checked the other halls at night. 

It was then realised that his surroundings were wrong. The room was too bright. It smelt too clean, and the bed sheets too starched. He gasped and allowed his senses go into hypersensitive mode. The first thing he noticed was he had a nasal cannula blowing oxygen into his nose, drying his throat as it went into his lungs, then he felt the wires, on his fingers taking his pulse, on his chest taking an ECG, and the tubes connecting to the catheter in his arm, which he had no doubt was pumping hydration fluids back into him after his weeklong neglect of his body. He felt bandages on his arms, and legs where he had scratched himself relentlessly in hopes of staying awake. The wounds stung slightly as a result he assumed of disinfecting and cleaning before bandaging. And the straps keeping him safely secured to the bed. 

He then took in what he could sense around him; the beeping of the machines monitoring him, the slight breeze of a fan not too far away, raising the hair on what little of his skin was exposed in its path. The sound of Dr. Mitre talking to a nurse or other doctor in the far distance, and his immediate vicinity…..he froze. Another person breathing, the sound of them shifting in an uncomfortable plastic chair. And a grunt, telling the young man that it was a male, more than likely older. He opened his eyes ever so slightly and looked to the noise; fearful of whom he would find looking back at him. 

“Good afternoon Mr Reid. You gave me quite a scare my name is David Rossi, and I am here to talk to you about a few things. When you’re ready of course.” The man’s tone was polite and neutral. You didn’t have to be a profiler to see the absolute terror in Spencer’s eyes and he was cursing the fact one of the living legends of the industry was sitting a mere three feet away. He had to think fast. He needed to make it seem like his panic was because of the schizophrenia and not at the realisation at who it was sitting with him. Thankfully thinking on his feet was something he was able to do, well. 

He sat up and just stared at the far wall, and was grateful that little enough time had passed for him to look like he was just going into shock before he began to pace his torso back and forth rubbing his hands on the blanket and regulate his breathing so that it appeared as though he had gone into a catatonic state. He heard the older man call for his doctor, he felt the man’s touch him as he checked his vital signs. Fear kept his pupils constricted, meaning the doctor got little reaction from them. 

“Not surprised really, this has happened twice before. He’ll snap out of it in an hour or two, hopefully.” And with that the doctor walked out again, leaving a watchful Rossi looking at the youth. 

“I have no idea who or what the hell you’re hiding from kid, but it must be something big to say you put this much effort into being kept in a shithole like this.” He said folding his arms. Spencer stopped at looked over at the gruff looking man. “You know my name; I saw the recognition in your face when I said it. You know what I am and what I do. So you can’t bullshit me.”

“Please, please don’t tell them.” Spencer begged the man.


	3. David find's out a few things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a brief conversation with Spencer, David talks to his team and makes another odd discovery.

David Rossi stared at the young man sitting in the bed; he nearly yelped aloud when he saw Spencer Reid's eyes constrict with fear at his name, but only after he'd been relieved to not have been someone else. He wondered what on earth the boy was so frightened of, and how he had known who he was.

"Please, please don't tell them." He looked at the pleading eyes of the young man. Innocent and large, Rossi swallowed hard, he had seen that look several times before in his career. The kid was begging, for his life. "Did you kill your parents?" he asked, he leant forward and stared Spencer in the eye.

Just then Spencer could see a nurse heading his way to check on him. He began the catatonic movements once more as he entered the room. David watched critically but remained silent. Before approaching the nurse made sure the straps on Spencer's hands and feet were secured. "Hello Spencer." The nurse's voice was calm, not forced. "You've done one hell of a number on yourself haven't you? I'm going to check your stats and that's all, alright?" Spencer kept up the charade and said nothing while he continued his movements. The nurse checked everything and nodded to himself. "Everything seems to be going back to normal. I'll leave you alone now with your visitor, alright Spencer?" Again Spencer said nothing and continued the calculated swaying.

When the nurse left again, David relaxed and decided to engage Spencer once more. "Do you not get tired or bored doing that?"

"No. I switch off my brain."

"Not really the small talking type, are you?"

"No."

"Good, that makes two of us. I'll ask you the same thing I asked you before our little interruption. Did you kill your parents?" Rossi looked at the younger man intently.

"No."

"You're going to have to give me more than that kid."

"No, I did not kill my parents." David thought he was just being a smartass. But then he noted Spencer's voice was quivering, he thought for a mere moment it was out of anger, but as he looked at the diverted eyes of the younger man, he realised in was pain and sadness. His features seemed so truthful, but he had spent the last eight years acting, convincingly enough to fool highly trained psychiatrists and psychologists, was he fooling him too?

"I'm sorry Kid. I just need to know this so to see if I can help you. I won't say anything, for now. I believe it to be in the best interests of your personal safety to keep this between you and me. However, if circumstances change, so will the knowledge of your stellar acting techniques, do I make myself clear?"

Spencer nodded. "Yes sir." He agreed submissively.

David shook his head, how could someone so timid be accused of such horrific murders. He saw the crime scene photos. No one this meek and timid could have been so brutal, could they? Then he thought of the nurse. "Reid?" the young man looked to him, his face scrunched slightly as he heard his surname being used to call him. "Why did you attack that nurse?"

"I had to. I needed to defend myself. I didn't want to, honest." He kept staring at the radiator on the far wall. His voice quiet.

"From him?" Spencer nodded. "Why?" Spencer became silent. "I can't help you son if you won't give me answers." Spencer remained in his muted state.

David was beginning to lose his patience. "Look kid, if you don't give me something, I can't help you." And with that he stormed out of the room. He could feel the fearful eyes of the younger man watching him as he walked down the hallway and then out of sight.

He took out his phone and pressed the speed dial for Hotch. "Dave. How are things there?"

"Something odd is going on with this kid Aaron." He proceeded to tell Hotch everything that had happened since the last phone call. Hotch paused him half way through and called Morgan to his office to hear the conversation.

"Why would he allow them think he killed his parents if he didn't?" Hotch wondered aloud.

"Come on Hotch, you don't actually think the kid is innocent do you?" Morgan asked disbelievingly.

"Do you doubt Dave's ability?" Hotch responded. Morgan fell silent.

"What do you think would cause him to say nothing and act the way he is?" Hotch asked no one in particular.

"It was here or prison and trust me when I say, this kid wouldn't last ten minutes on the inside. Especially in gen pop. But I have to say, this kid is petrified, I just want to know of what." Dave added.

"Maybe it's not of what but of who. And prisons are known for their gangs. What if it's part of the reason? Wasn't his father a lawyer? We should get Garcia to see who he used represent. What if he knew he was in danger on the inside so he thought to imitate his mother's illness instead? Knowing he would be put in a mental health facility." Morgan hypothesised.

"He acted as though he had PTSD until he hit his twenties, because when schizophrenic breaks tend to occur and no one would question it as his mother had it." Hotch added. "Dave, is he that smart?"

"He's been smart enough to keep at least three teams of psychologists and psychiatrists off his scent, and seems naturally socially awkward, so I can't see how he wouldn't be able to do that." Dave acknowledged.

"So what do we do now?" Asked Morgan.

"Dave, can you get him brought here?" Hotch looked at the phone.

"He's almost back to full health, I can see if his doctor will sign off on it why?"

"I want to talk to him, away from the hospital, see if it is really as great an actor as we think it is." Hotch stated.

"You got it, I'll keep you posted." Dave hung up the phone and left the small room he had entered to make his confidential call. He walked up to the nurses' station and they directed him in the right direction to Dr. Mitre's ward office.

He looked around at the different rooms, all containing people of different severities of mental incapacity and shuddered as he thought of how bad things must be for the scared kid that was more willing to be surrounded with all of these people for the rest of his life than try and deal with whatever he was hiding.

He walked through the ward and went to the doctor's office where he had met Dr. Mitre earlier in the day. As he came to the door he heard the man's voice from the small office. "I know, but the agent seems to have the opposite effect on him he was in a catatonic state there a minute ago, yes, yes I know. Alright, I will do what I have to." David's gut twisted as he heard the terror in the doctor's voice.

"This isn't good" was all that went through the agents mind.


	4. Escape Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer is scared and trying to concoct an escape plan, Rossi inadvertently gifts him one.

Spencer was physically shuddering in fear as he waited for what would happen next. His mind raced through everything that could occur. He wondered what the agent was going to do, where he had gone and what he was going to say. He wondered how he was going to get out of the situation he was in. He knew he was going to have to try and make a run for it. They knew where he was, they would try again to get him, to finish what they had started, and of that he was certain. As it stood, he was uncertain of what it was they even wanted, but it was clear they were willing to do anything to get it. Being strapped to the bed meant he couldn’t even attempt to escape. He cursed his fortunes and continued to wait.

After another few minutes, he heard heavy footfalls going through the ward and towards him. He also heard the gruff voice of the Italian legend of the FBI talking considerably louder than was necessary. 

“So we’re lucky he’s awake again? He just asked me who I was and where in the facility was he.” Spencer thought for a moment. The only reason the man would be talking that loud was just so Spencer would hear. He realised the man telling him so to get their story straight before they entered the room, to tell Spencer to just act dazed. Spencer took a deep breath as he heard the men come ever closer. 

Agent Rossi and Dr Mitre entered the room almost simultaneously. The doctor was looking at his patient in the bed while Rossi fell behind him and gave Spencer an odd look. His face scrunched up in confusion. 

“Well Spencer, you gave us quite a scare there earlier. I hope you realise that was your body telling you that you have to eat. The last thing we want is for you to become anorexic on top of everything else. That wouldn’t do now would it? 

Spencer remained silent as his teeth worried his bottom lip, but he shook his head to answer the question. 

“Good, glad to see we’re on the same page. Now Spencer, this is David Rossi, he’s here to talk to you, is that alright?” Spencer looked at the agent for a moment, as though considering him. Rossi looked at him with a look of almost smugness on his face; he could have sworn he had lowered his head the slightest bit. Spencer nodded his answer to the question. “Excellent, I’ll stay here in the corner and just pretend I’m not here.” Spencer glanced at Agent Rossi and could see his displeasure.

“Perhaps it’s best if Spencer and I speak alone.” Spoke the agent. 

“Sorry Mr Rossi, but as my patient, it is paramount that I remain in the room as an advocate for him were this to turn into more than a mere chat.” Spencer grimaced, knowing he and the other man would not be able to speak freely about what anything with the doctor in the room. 

“Right, well, I am just here to talk to you Spencer, to see if I can jog your memory a bit okay?” Spencer nodded, never once taking his eyes off the Italian ad always keeping Mitre in his peripheral vision. 

“Okay, we’ll see first what you are aware of. What day of the week is it?”

“Tuesday.” He answered after clearing his throat. 

“What month is it?”

“June.”

“What year is it?”

“2012.”

“Excellent, I know these questions may seem odd to you, but I need to grasp exactly what you can comprehend.” Rossi kept using a calm and somewhat soothing voice. 

Spencer kept glancing at the doctor who he noticed was listening in with far more interest than he should exhibit with the simplicity of the questions being asked. 

“Don’t look at me Spencer, I’m not here remember.” Spencer laughed to himself, if he truly were schizophrenic; he would have been terrified by that comment. He looked back to Rossi, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

“Spencer. I need to go back to the day that you first came here; do you think you could do that?” Spencer nodded. 

“Do you remember what time of the year it was?”

“Fall. There was leaves on the ground, and people in the fields next to the road, they were filled with pumpkins.” He answered, smiling slightly at the memory. He’d always loved pumpkins and carving them at Halloween. 

“Do you remember…?” The doctor’s beeper went off, disrupting the question. “Dr. Mitre please turn that off, I am trying to let Spencer know he has my full and undivided interest and you being here is enough of an inconvenience, but you interrupting is far more irritating.” Spencer did not fail to notice the use of the word interest rather than attention.

“I have other patients to attend to Mr Rossi.”

“Then attend to them.” Spencer had to concentrate hard on the wall and breath carefully so not to laugh at the brash manner in which Rossi spoke to Mitre. 

“But…Spencer.”

“Tell you what, if you are truly so concerned about Spencer. Then I suggest we listen to my boss’s recommendation and bring Spencer to Quantico where he will get our undivided attention.” Spencer’s neck almost snapped as he turned to face the agent once more. He wanted to bring him to the FBI headquarters, away from the sanatorium, to a place filled with armed agents that would be more than capable of protecting him, but more importantly, to a building easier to escape than the one he was in hopefully. Allowing him to get free and hopefully elude whatever faith those who after him had planned. 

“Absolutely not, my patient is an ill man, it is out of the question.” The doctor bellowed, causing Spencer to jump. “It’s a terrible idea in his mental state.”

“Dr Mitre, I can have the bureau’s team of psychiatrists here to assess his ability to travel here within the hour, and him out of here in two, if needs be. As the murders took place in Maryland and he found his way to two different facilities in Virginia and the District after the event, it is very easy to argue this case to be officially federal with the right paperwork and an able team. And I should warn you, I have just that.” Rossi glared at the older man, who suddenly did not have to be with the patient that the beeper was alerting them too. 

“What is to be gained from such an excursion?” he demanded. 

“Maybe everything or maybe nothing, but two people are dead and I need to know who did it, and if it wasn’t the boy, then he deserves the right to know who took his family from him. And may I remind you that it was you who called me here, not the other way around.” The agent replied in an abrupt tone. “What do you think Spencer, you willing to go on a small trip?” 

“A trip would be nice, will there be coffee?” he replied absentmindedly. 

“It is most inconvenient to me; can you not just do it here?” 

“Sadly for you, you are not the person who matters here and are of little concern to me at all to say the least. Personally I cannot see why you will not let me just talk to this young man in private, so you inconvenience me and I am more than happy to reciprocate.”

Spencer liked this man more by the minute, he was brash, rude and arrogant, but he could see the man wanted him out of here to help him. “When are we leaving?” he smiled dreamily. 

“How fast can you get dressed?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will be going a bit faster from now on with the timeline.


	5. The BAU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave get's Spencer to the BAU, and Garcia digs up some of the young man's past.

David walked through the bullpen with a highly nervous Spencer in tow. He had noted the way Spencer seemed to be taking in everything from the access codes to the badges visitors were issued. He knew there were clogs turning in the young man's head, but said nothing. He was glad the young man had registered what was implying at the hospital and now they were on his home turf, he knew things could be easier.

He looked at Mitre and his lip curled momentarily in contempt. The man was up to something and it was to do with the kid. That bothered him slightly, what truly annoyed him was the doctor's use of him and the bureau to get what he wanted. David Rossi was nobody's chess pawn, and he was going to make sure the good doctor learnt that.

Several sets of eyes were looking at him and his guests as they made their way to his office. "Spencer, do you think you could stay in here for a moment while Dr Mitre and I speak with my boss right next door. If you need anything, that is my team in the bullpen and they will be more than happy to give you a hand."

Spencer, he could see, wasn't even listening. The young man was staring into the room. David followed his line of sight and smiled. He was staring at the shelves of books the man kept mostly for reference in his office. "You're more than welcome to read one while you wait, if you'd like." He smiled sadly at the sheer delight and hope on Spencer's face as he looked to the agent to see if he was serious. Clearly satisfied that he was, he rushed over and swiped his middle finger over the spines to see which one he would choose. He decided in the end on one of Rossi's own titles, Frenzy: America's Worst Spree Killers, before sitting on the sofa and looking at the two men in the doorway timidly. David nodded and closed over the door.

"I'm not comfortable with him being left alone like this Agent Rossi. What if he wanders off?" the doctor complained.

"Blake, JJ, Morgan, keep an eye that the man in my office doesn't go anywhere, understood?" The three agents nodded and continued what they were doing in the bullpen, though David could see them occasionally glancing at the door. "No need to worry, he seemed more than happy to just be reading a book. Does he read much in the hospital?"

"No, we don't have those sorts of facilities."

"You're telling me your patients don't even have books to read to keep some semblance of sanity through it all. I think I would actually kill myself were I to fine myself in that position."

"We are a state run facility. Due to the fact that Spencer killed his parents, their life insurance policies, in which both named him as the sole benefactor, were not redeemable."

David made a mental note to buy and donate books to the hospital. The very least those people should have is basic human pleasures such as reading. He knocked on Hotch's office door and before even waiting for a reply he entered. "Aaron, this is Dr Mitre, the psychiatrist I was telling you about, doctor, this is my Unit Chief and the man who requested Spencer be brought here, and I believe you had a few choice words to say to him." David laughed when he saw of the man's face as Hotch provided him with his signature glare. Words failed the older man who merely nodded and waiting to be spoken to.

"Dr Mitre, we are going to do a series of cognitive tests on Spencer to see what he can and cannot remember of his childhood and with the aid of a very able technical analyst we will be able to tell how much of his memory is effected by his illness and then in turn we can see what he can tell us about the day his parents were killed. Any questions?" Hotch explained briefly.

"You think you can come up with something that my teams and I have not already tried."

"Teams?" David questioned.

"Yes Dave, while you were at Emerson with the doctor and Mr Reid, Garcia was able to find out the reason why Spencer had been to three different facilities. The first was a Johnson's facility for minors in Maryland, then of course when he turned eighteen he was placed in St. Grace's in DC, and lastly in Emerson just inside the border here in Virginia. What I find interesting is that Spencer's move from St. Graces corresponded directly with your move from there and both of you ended up at Emerson. I am curious to know what was so special about this one patient that made you have to uproot him to be with you."

"Coincidence purely, I was shocked that three days after my move, Spencer was sitting in front of me once more." The doctor attempted to sound nonchalant, but there was no doubting the hysteria seeping through in his voice.

"I can well imagine." David feigned sincerity.

"Well now you know what we are going to do, let's go do it." He rose from the chair. "We will conduct them in my office if it suits Spencer, he seemed more than comfortable there." and with that he headed to the door. He could sense the doctor was frightened to follow but ignored him and headed back into the gangway and into his own office. He noticed the door slightly ajar and looked to his co-workers all of whom were staring at their work silently. Panic washed over him as he opened the door.

There, still on the couch, was Spencer. Only instead of his book Frenzy, he was now reading Deviance; and Frenzy was on the table, along with his other titles, Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer, Manhunt, and Compulsion; Understanding Serial Killers. He looked at the books for a moment thinking that the young man was looking for a particular crime, until he looked at him and gasped.

Spencer's finger was sliding down the pages, left, then right, with his lips moving rapidly before flicking the page and repeating the process.

"Looking for something in particular?"

"No, just reading." Spencer answered not looking up as he zipped through more pages.

David was so shocked by what he was seeing he failed to see a blonde haired woman push passed him. "Here you go Boy Wonder." She beamed handing Spencer a cup of coffee. "Anything else I can get for your wonderful self?"

"No, thank you." He smiled weakly as he accepted the coffee.

Garcia left the room smiling. David followed her into the gangway where the rest of the team was gathered below them in the bullpen "Boy Wonder?" David smiled.

"Yes, I did a small bit of a snooping on young Spencer in there." Hotchner, Mitre had exited the formers office and were joined by Blake, JJ and Morgan who also listened closely. They looked in at the bashful young man Garcia was speaking about. "It appears he has an exceptional IQ, can read faster than your normal human being, and graduated high school at the tender age of twelve." JJ eyes went wide, Hotch's jaw popped open, Blake made incoherent sounds and Derek just stared.

David laughed "So he read all those books in my office."

"Yep. Oh and he has degrees in Sociology and Chemistry as well as PhD's in Engineering and Mathematics from the illustrious CalTech nonetheless and was working on making his Chemistry degree a PhD when his world took a terrible turn, poor baby."

"So Baby Girl, you're telling us that, that kid….."

"Is actually Dr. Spencer Reid. Yes." The perky blonde smiled.

David took a moment to study the reaction on Dr Mitre's face. He noted it was almost unreadable with the amount of emotions he was feeling. Rage, embarrassment, confusion, envy and above all and most baffling relief. "Well now, I better go back in to the doctor, hadn't I?" David walked back into the office and before any could join him, he closed out the door.

He could see from the waiting man's face he had heard the agents discussing him. "Well Dr Reid, it appears you've been holding out on us. Anything else you want to add?"

"Not currently, I just have one question though."

"Shoot."

"How is Agent Gideon?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N The names of Rossi's books I got from Season 4 Episode 15 "Zoe's Reprise."
> 
> And I am aware that there are a few of Spencer's degrees and PhD's are not accurate, but he was sixteen being institutionalised in this so I thought to adjust his academic education accordingly.


	6. We Learn Something New Every Day.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David interviews Spencer with help from Morgan, and Garcia finds out a bit more on Mitre.

David Rossi stared at the young man who had finally looked up from the book he had been reading as he tried to grasp what the man had asked. Of all the things Spencer could have said to knock him for six, the use of the other original profilers name was most certainly something he would have anticipated. 

“How do you know Jason?” he demanded. 

“CalTech, he noticed me there and we got talking. He said to consider joining the BAU, I researched it, that’s how I know about you and Agent Hotchner.” The youth explained.

Jason had thought that Spencer was good enough for the unit, he couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of the lithe young man attempting to get through the academy, but still, as much as he and Jason clashed when they had worked together, he knew the other man had an ability to see peoples true potential, he wondered had Spencer’s life not been thrown upside down by the events of eight years ago, could he be in the BAU today, not as a suspect, but as a profiler. 

“He left, five years ago; it all finally got to him. I came back as his replacement.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good man.” Spencer said solemnly. 

“We’re going to interview you now. Will this room do?” Spencer nodded. “One of my team mates will have to be present, as will Dr Mitre.” 

Spencer looked David in the eye and spoke in a low voice. “He can’t be trusted can he?” David shook his head. 

“How long have you been suspicious?” Spencer just looked to the door as though awaiting David to call in the two other people. 

Since it was clear Spencer was going to say no more, he called for Mitre and Morgan to come in. Spencer’s eyes grew wide with fear as he looked at the strong bald man who was looking at him almost disbelievingly. 

“Agent Rossi, you were informed that no one was supposed to talk to Spencer without me present.” The older man said through gritted teeth. 

“It must have slipped my mind.” The agent’s tone was casual and dismissive, angering the doctor more. “Now Dr Reid, by the way congratulations on being so accomplished at such a young age, that is quite an achievement, this is my colleague SSA Derek Morgan.” Morgan nodded; Spencer lifted his hand in a sort of salute, but could not look the other man in the face. “He is here to help me established what happened. Any questions?”

“Who won the election?”

“Excuse me?” David raised an eyebrow.

“The election, it was on the other day wasn’t it?” 

“Obama.” Morgan answered. Spencer stared at the floor, eyes wide and merely nodded his head furiously. David noted the young man’s shyness towards his colleague, the look on Morgan’s face signified the other man had noticed it too. 

“Dr Reid, why don’t you become comfortable, we want to make this as easy for you as possible.” David said calmly. He saw Spencer’s eyes and knew this was going to be harder than he expected with the young doctor terrified to even speak as he stared at the floor, avoiding any sort of eye contact and his eyes darting towards the two men’s feet over on the other side of the room. 

“We’re going to get nowhere Rossi if the kid is too frightened to talk.” Morgan stated. Spencer shuddered physically. “I mean look at him, this should be one on one.”

“Perhaps you should leave then. He knows me with years so it can’t be me that’s the problem.” Mitre snapped. Spencer winced at the harsh raised voice. David found himself getting annoyed that the conversation was taking place as though Spencer was not even in the room. 

A knock on the door interrupted the discussion. Blake walked and looked to everyone in the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but Agent Hotchner needs to speak to Dr Mitre immediately.”

“Then send him in here.” The doctor growled. 

“Alone.” She replied firmly. 

“I cannot leave my patient.”

“Correction, you will not. I alone have interviewed many tens of people that are patients of different medical facilities in the last handful of months alone, most of whom were not to full capacity, physically or mentally, and we were able to do so in private. This should be no different only you will not allow it.” David argued. 

“It is my job to ensure his safety.” Mitre countered. 

“And we see you took that job very seriously.” Blake interrupted. “Our technical analyst found the paper trail; you made the request to bring Dr Reid to Emerson.” The doctor turned exceptionally pale, even Spencer looked up to look at the man. “My SAC and I are going to have a little chat with you in one of our interview rooms. So if you would follow me.” Morgan and Dave looked at each other as somewhat shook Mitre followed the female agent out of the room. 

“Now we can talk.” Smiled Morgan. Both men looked at Spencer, who was staring at the muscular agent with a look of sheer terror on his face. “Chill kid, I meant nothing ominous by that.” Morgan explained apologetically, Spencer’s shoulders slacked a little.

“Right so, let’s get this started. Spencer, I want to go back to that day, can you do that? And you don’t need to worry about Morgan; he knows about your little scam, we just want to help you.” He watched Spencer look to his team mate who smiled encouragingly back at him.

Spencer nodded sadly, before taking a deep breath and starting. “I was on mid-term from college; I was doing my doctorate in Chemistry. It was a Saturday; there was a library not too far from my parent’s house. About six blocks, I went there most days. I left home at eleven forty two in the morning, arrived to the library at noon. I left there again at eight in the evening. I was late so I ran across my old high school football field. I thought it would be okay on a Saturday. There was no training then, I had learnt that lesson five days before.”

“And you still went back?” Morgan asked curiously.

“My father was not renowned for his patience towards tardiness.” Spencer responded spitefully. Both men looked at him sadly, understanding the underlying statement. David was angered that anyone could want to hurt their child for wanting to better themselves with a good education. 

“When I got home the house was in darkness and the door was open. I thought it meant that my Mom went wandering again so I ran in to throw my bag in my room before going to see if I could find her, My father’s car was there, I assumed he just arrived home and was looking around the house to see if she was there before going searching for her. I walked in, and all I could think was the weird smell.”

“Smell?” David asked. 

“Like rust, like I said, it was weird.” David looked at the man’s saddened face. He knew what was coming. “I turned on the light, and there they were, in the living room. Tied to the dining room chairs.” The tears began. David nodded encouragingly. “My father’s throat was cut, there was blood everywhere, but also seemed to have bruises and burns too.” 

“There was a lot of signs that he had been tortured before he died.” Confirmed Morgan. 

“But my Mom. Oh God my poor Mom.” David realised then not a single tear the boy shed was for his father, but for the mother he adored so much. “She looked as though she was unconscious. I checked for a pulse, but she…..she….” and the young man broke down sobbing. 

“And that’s when the neighbour walked in?” David asked. Spencer only nodded. “We’ll give you a few minutes to mourn Reid. How about you get the case file Morgan while I get us all another coffee?” Morgan nodded and walked out the door. “How do you like your coffee kid?”

“Loads of sugar.” Spencer sniffed. David grimaced at the response but nodded and walked out the door, leaving it ajar as he left.


	7. Taking a Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer realises he's been left alone and makes a decision resulting in an unexpected stroll.

Spencer sobbed as he thought of his mother’s body, lying limp on the chair. When he first saw her he hoped there was still a chance, but as he tried to take her pulse he became more aware of the injuries she had sustained. He thought of the last time they had spoken, she had not been lucid, and she thought he was one of her students from when she was a lecturer, so when he informed her that he was going to the library she merely smiled kindly at him. That was the image he wanted of her in his mind, sadly the way his mind worked, he never could forget the last time he saw her. He had seen the marks on his father’s body, and it saddened him to think that even with the end his father had suffered, he could not mourn him, he felt sorry for him sure, but he did not mourn the loss of him, there was no love between father and son. The man made his life a living hell, and what made it worse was that the older Reid knew it and couldn’t have cared less about it. He thought of what was going on in one of the interview rooms with Dr Mitre. He thought it odd when he was moved from his previous facility to Emerson, but thought little of it. He hadn’t realised it was across state lines. He feared what the doctor’s motive was, moving him with as he too was moved. Was he looking out for him, or was he after something more. 

A sudden realisation took him, he was alone, the door was ajar, and the two agents would be gone a few minutes. He could take his chances with them and hope they protected him, but he knew he would be sent back to the sanatorium, the sanatorium he knew he wasn’t safe in. There was only one thing for it. He shot out of the chair and casually as he could, exited the room. He saw none of the famous FBI profilers as he walked across the gangway to the one and only entrance and exit of the BAU. He looked at the elevator and pondered would it be worth the wait and the potential bumping into a member of the famous team. He found the stairs and noticed that they were empty of other any other person, he ran down them as fast as he could, tripping over himself twice and slammed into a wall. He came to the ground floor, straightened himself up and regulated his breathing. Once he was satisfied he didn’t look like an escapee he took hold of the handle and walked out the door. 

He walked through the reception hall and handed the receptionist the visitor’s badge, barely thanking her as he did so. He made his way down the hall and to the main door. The place was covered in FBI agents, lawyers, police officers and he found himself thinking it best to return to the office. He had been terrified of SSA Morgan; he was too like the kids who bullied him in school, big and athletic. However he seemed to be able to trust David Rossi, a concept that scared him, he had not trusted anyone is so long. What made him think he could trust the experienced profiler? He continued of the building and was about to look around to see which direction was the exit when two voices behind him caused him to root to the spot with fear. 

“Told you.”

“Going somewhere kid?” 

He turned around and saw both Rossi and Morgan leaning against the walls at either side of the door. 

“I…I” The genius stuttered.

“I see what you mean now, Rossi. His eyes.” Morgan stared into Spencer’s eyes; the younger man broke eye contact immediately and rushed backwards without paying attention to where he was going. He stumbled over an uneven crack in the pavement. “Chill kid, we aren’t going to do anything, you’re terrified enough as it is.”

“What about my eyes?” Demanded Spencer, unsure of where the bravery came from. He assumed it was from the notion he had that now the agents had noticed his attempt to flee, they would automatically assume his guilt. 

“Fear, and not of us. Well a little of Morgan, but your terrified Spencer, we can see that. You truly are frightened of something. Let us help you.” David beseeched the young man, whose eyes betrayed his fear. “Hey kid, when was the last time you went for a walk, outside I mean?” Spencer and Morgan both looked at him with near identical looks of bewilderment. “Well?”

“That day, coming home from the library, why?”

“There is a nice walk around here. How about we take it before getting actually coffees? There is this little kiosk just at the entrance to the headquarters; it does all sorts of decent coffee. Sound good?” Spencer noted the darker skinned agent’s obvious lack of support for the idea, and was amazed when he said nothing. He nodded and followed the Italian, with Morgan bringing up the rear. For twenty minutes no one said anything. They walked the small pathways through the woodland surrounding the large federal building. There was a small river that flowed into a pond. Trees overturned with age and weather, moss on the rocks, bark and path. Spencer realised just how much he missed the outside world, how much he had cast aside in order to stay safe.

“Dr Reid?” Spencer flinched as SSA Morgan called his name, snapping him out of his daydream. He turned his head slightly to show he was listening though he did not look at the agent. “Why did you attack your nurse?”

“He was there.” 

“There?” Morgan raised an eyebrow. 

“The night I came home from the library, the night I found my…… he was there, in a van three doors down from my house, him and another man. They were not from the area and I had never seen the licence plate before. It was a Virginia plate. When he came into my room, he sneered at me as he said my name, I recognised him, then…..” Spencer shuddered. 

“Then he what kid?” David encouraged.

Spencer took in a deep breath. “Then he said ‘your turn.’ I didn’t want to do it, but I was so scared.”

“We know.” Spencer looked around and could see the two agents looking at one another. He saw realisation and comprehension in their eyes. The understood, why he was running, why he was scared.

David Rossi looked at him sympathetically. “Now this is all starting to make sense. How about we get you that coffee?” 

“Can I stay here a few more minutes? I’ve really missed this.” He pointed in every direction. 

“Sure thing Kid.” Spencer looked to Morgan as he replied. He saw the genuine sadness in the man’s face. He found himself irritated by the man’s pity. 

“Don’t do that.” He snapped at the agent, who looked at him with a mixture of shock and bewilderment. “Don’t look at me as though I am pathetic and to be pitied.”

“Whoa whoa Kid, I never thought you were pathetic, pitied yes, but not that. I’m sorry.” Morgan held his hands up as he spoke. Spencer settled once more. “You’ve got good instincts.”

“Gideon scouted him.” Rossi informed the other agent, whose eyes, Spencer noticed, opened wider as he stared back at him once more.

“So you’re the kid that he was so gutted about?” Spencer cocked his head slightly. “You inadvertently crushed the man; he had great plans for you. You were supposed to be trained especially for our team.” Morgan was excited for a moment, and then seemed to remember what had happened and bit his cheeks then. 

“I could do with that coffee now.” Spencer said sadly, rising from the fallen tree he had been sitting on and wiping down his trousers to remove the moss. His heart crushed at the thought that he could have been working with this group of people, were his life as he knew it, had not taken from him. 

“Sounds like a plan. By the way, are you sure you didn’t recognise those plates?” Rossi enquired as they began to walk.

“I have an eidetic memory; I cannot forget every licence plate or indeed anything else I ever read.” Spencer explained. He grunted as he crashed into the Italian in front of him, who had frozen at yet another revelation of the man’s intelligence. 

“I can see why he got Gideon’s attention.” Smiled Morgan wondrously as they started walking once more.


	8. Conference Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team gather in the conference room to discuss the case. But they get a bit of a shock when the meeting is interrupted.

David could see the pleased look on Spencer’s face as he carefully nursed the delicious Vendi Caramel Macchiato with more sugar than coffee as they went back into the FBI building, getting a new visitor badge for him as they did so. The three got into the elevator; both David and Morgan could not help but notice the terror in Spencer’s eyes while other agents and personnel got in and out of the elevators, wincing as though in pain each time someone brushed up against him. As soon as they hit the floor containing the BAU; the young man bolted out of the elevator and into a middle aged, somewhat indignant woman, both crashing to the floor, files scattering as they did so. It took David a moment to realise exactly who it was, and once he found out he, and indeed Morgan, found it difficult to prevent themselves from laughing. 

David thought it best for him to help Spencer; it was clear that although he had begun to answer Morgan’s questions he still feared him. Morgan on the other hand went to help the woman. 

“What on earth was that?” Erin Strauss demanded. 

“That was a slightly haphephobic Dr Spencer Reid.” Laughed David, as he received a wicked look from the Section Chief. 

“Haphe-what?” she enquired indignantly as Morgan helped her to her feet once more, before collecting up the dispersed paperwork. 

“Haphephobia, also known as aphephobia, haphophobia, hapnophobia, haptephobia, haptophobia or thixophobia is a rare specific phobia that involves the fear of touching or of being touched. It is an acute exaggeration of the normal tendencies to protect one's personal space, expressed as a fear of contamination or of the invasion, and extending even to people whom its sufferers know well.” Spencer recited, earning him a shocked look from the woman who was now pointing at him and looking to the two agents for an explanation. 

“This is Dr Spencer Reid. And to say the man is of above average intelligence is an insult to him.” Explained David. 

“And the reciting stunt comes from his eidetic memory.” Continued Derek. 

“I see. Well Dr Reid, could you please refrain from assaulting federal employees while in the building?” The woman’s tone was dry and bored as she went to walk off. Spencer blushed deep crimson. As soon as she was out of sight the two agents laughed, and continued to as they entered the BAU, meeting a team of somewhat perplexed agents. 

“Dare I ask?” Hotch queried. 

“The good Dr Reid decided the FBI and indeed the world would be better off without Strauss in it and attempted to take her out in the hall there, brave move to make in a federal building if you ask me.” Shrugged David. Blake and JJ bit their lips together to stop themselves from laughing while Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

“So what’s the story with this Mitre guy?” Morgan asked. 

“Go to the conference room and we’ll discuss it.” Morgan nodded and he and the rest of the team bar David obeyed the SAC’s orders. 

“What about Dr Reid?” David decided to ask. 

“I’m not sure to be honest with you.” Hotch looked at the timid man next to them.

“Aaron, he did not murder his parents and is in serious danger from whoever did.”

“You’re sure?” Rossi nodded. Hotch considered the man again. “I will fill you in on everything before we go in so you don’t interrupt my team, understood.”

The stern glare from the most senior profilers caused Spencer to root to the spot and cower, unable to even answer. Hotch looked at David who smiled sadly at the distressed Reid. “Come on Kid, we’ll go in here for a sec.” He planned to gently use his hand to guide Spencer to Hotch’s office, but once he saw the hand coming for him the youngest man bolted backwards, slamming into the wall with a near sickening thud that David was sure was going to leave severe bruising. Both men jumped at his actions, unprepared for them. Spencer was wincing as he moved away from the wall, standing as close as he dared to the other men while looking at them apologetically. “Sorry Spencer, that was my fault, I shouldn’t have went forward like that, you alright?” 

Spencer edged slightly closer and nodded, but David noted he kept a vigilant eye on both men as they made their way into the office. 

“Well, what have you got for us Hotch?”

“Dr Mitre is officially a person of interest. His bank account shows several payments of unexplainable large sums of cash and he of course illegally took Dr Reid over state lines.”

“Did he say why?” asked David. 

“No. But some of his answers were cryptic and I have to be honest, neither myself nor Blake were happy with them.”

“Anything in particular?”

“How he had to do it and that we wouldn’t understand, and other such things. We hadn’t enough to hold him so we cut him loose. He knows Dr Reid will be staying here until we’re happy with everything, speaking of which, anything I need to know happen on your little walk?” Hotch questioned with a funny look on his face. 

“Hey, when a perfectly sane person is locked up for eight years, the least that can be done is you take them for a quiet stroll and a decent coffee.” David raised his hands as he spoke jestfully before becoming serious once more. “The nurse was present outside Reid’s home the night his parents were killed, and in the hospital he informed Spencer it was his turn, the kid acted in self-defence. Also Spencer was slightly late home that night.”

“Meaning you were supposed to be there but weren’t, I would imagine they had not anticipated that.” Hotch looked at Spencer as he spoke, but the youth stared at the floor. “Alright, let’s go talk this through with the team.” The SAC walked out of the room and towards the conference room. Spencer was looking at David, who made a gesture with his head, urging the younger to follow Hotch. He could see the momentary confliction in Spencer’s face before he walked slowly out the door, making sure David followed, noting how Spencer’s constant checking was not about keeping an eye on his back, more checking that David was still there. 

The three men entered the conference room where the rest of the team was waiting. All eyes seemed to focus on Spencer for a moment until David pointed to a chair for Spencer to take. Hotch stood in front of the team and began to explain. 

“In case anyone here is of the opinion otherwise, we are taking this rather peculiar case. Dr Reid was seen as the only suspect in his parent’s murders eight years ago, however Morgan and Rossi were able to conclude that he is not a suspect and following a psych evaluation from the bureau psychological team, that he is of full mental health, meaning we have somebody who has been at large for eight years and is now trying to finish annihilating the Reid family by sending a man to pose as a nurse into Emerson.”

“Are we sure he’s not a qualified nurse?” Blake enquired. 

“Positive. Patrick Laurence “aka Larry” Sawyer is a lot of things, drug addict, thief, thug for hire, but nurse is not one of them. He has a rap sheet that would make some of our buddies in the closest penitentiary green with envy, which begs the question, why is he on the streets you wonder. Well my dears, wonder no more, Daddy Dearest is none other than Michael Laurence Sawyer, and yes, the Michael Laurence Sawyer who is running for Senate. Daddy has used many resources to stop little Larry from spending any time behind bars. Thank you I know I am brilliant.” Garcia spoke so fast, she confused one or two of the others, especially Blake was still trying to learn to keep up with her fast spurts of information. 

“What sort of lawyer was William Reid?” JJ asked. 

“Business law, nothing criminal.” Garcia answered scanning through her tablet. 

“Michael Sawyer has businesses, would he have known him through that?” Morgan asked. 

“I don’t know.” Garcia frantically looked through the information she had at hand. 

“Yes and no.” Came a quiet voice from the corner. The team looked around to the unobtrusive form of Spencer Reid. 

“How so?” Morgan asked kindly, clearly hoping to encourage Spencer to expand on his answer.   
“He used the firm my father worked at, but only dealt with the partners, never with regular lawyers. My father knew who he was, he used talk about him, but he would never have known my father.” Spencer stared at the crime scene photos on the board as he spoke. David was glad that there was no pictures of the two victims up on it, he didn’t want to cause the young man anymore distress. 

“So we’re looking for a team, at least two to subdue both victims.” Rossi looked at Spencer wince as he referred to Diana and William Reid as victims. 

“Right, and how does the doctor fit into all of this.” Morgan asked, having not been filled in as Rossi had been. 

 

“He illegally brought Dr Reid with him across state lines, there’s something hinky about his financial transactions and to be frank, his answers were less than satisfactory.” Blake explained looking to her team mate. 

“Agreed, Dr Mitre is officially a person of interest as far as we are concerned. Though we are convinced he is nothing to do with the murders, he is indeed someway involved with the recent attempt on Dr Reid’s life within the sanatorium.” Hotch added. “I think it best if Morgan and I go to the sanatorium and see Dr Reid’s quarters for ourselves as well as talk to Mitre again.”

Morgan was getting out of his seat when there was a knock on the door followed by an unnerved looking agent poking their head in the door. 

“Anderson, this better be important.” Hotch growled. 

“It is sir, there has been an explosion in the parking lot.” The agent explained. The team rose. Spencer stared. 

“What do you mean explosion?” Morgan demanded. 

“A car bomb it seems. The man who SSA Blake and you sir were interviewing that doctor, it was his car.”


	9. Assesment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer gets assessed by the bureau's pyschiatrist and his team.

The team stared at one another. David watched as Spencer brought his long legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He, and indeed the rest of the team could see how terrified the young man was. 

“Blake, you and I will go and see what the story is. Garcia, you go through every frame of footage from the moment Mitre and Reid arrived today and let me know what you get.” The usually bubbly blonde nodded before bolting out the conference room door. “”JJ you go and see Strauss, see if she needs your help.” The ex-communications liaison left without another word. 

“With all due respect Hotch, I am ex-bomb squad, I should be the one going outside.” Morgan began to argue, but was silenced by the team leader by raising his hand. 

“Morgan, under normal circumstances it would only be you and I going out, but Dr Reid needs to be protected and you know you are the only person I would trust with that, and Dave is the only one he is the least bit comfortable around.” 

David scoffed. Comfortable? The kid would be more comfortable sitting on a Judas’s cradle if the look on his face was anything to go by. 

The leader and Blake exited the room, leaving the two agents once more with the terrified younger man. They looked at each other for a moment before am idea hit David about what had to be done. “We might as well get him his evaluation. The sooner we do that, the sooner we get him out of that facility.”

“Rossi, have you lost your mind, the kid isn’t going to pass anything, he’s terrified out of his mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually did go into a catatonic state right now.” Morgan argued. 

“I want to do it.” David looked to the quiet figure of Spencer Reid still huddled in a corner. “I can’t go back there; I’m not able to defend myself there. He could come back.”

“That’s not going to happen kid, you’re safe here with us, we’ve got your back.” Assured Morgan, though David could see that Spencer didn’t believe it. 

“Let’s get it organised so.” The Italian picked up the receiver of his office phone and dialled the appropriate extension. Even in the midst of a potential attack on Federal property, the psych team were still in their office and considering the urgency and severity of the situation, the head of the department and two of his assistants headed through the building to the BAU. 

David and Morgan waited for over an hour outside in the bullpen for the young man to be assessed. They considered the evidence again and the new event of Dr Mitres car explosion. Blake called and informed them that Mitre had not been in the car at the time of detonation, but he had been close enough to it for his body to receive 79 per cent third degree burns on it. He was on his way to the hospital, but his chances weren’t good. The two agents were going to follow the ambulance and see what happened from there. She insured them she would contact them as soon as anything happened. 

JJ was running around with Strauss working as a go between for the Section Chief, the Director and the now beginning to gather press. And Garcia was busy gathering and going through the footage of the parking lot from sixteen different cameras of the area to see if she could find who placed the bomb on/in/under the car. She too promised to call if she got anything. The two agents just hypothesised and waited. 

Finally the psychiatrist, his assistant psychiatrist and the department psychologist exited David’s office. The two agents ran up to meet them and ushered them into Hotch’s office. “Well doctor.”

“That man is a genius and I am not just referring to his 187 IQ. He learnt the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia from his mother, as well as how to falsely display them and followed the standard signs to a tee so much so that he convinced five highly trained psychiatrists, two of whom I am personal friends with and both of whom would be considered in very high esteem in our line of work and at the tender age of twenty he began to make a fool of them.” The doctor stated disbelievingly. 

“But he’s sane?” David asked, wanting the doctor to just come out and say it. 

“As you and me. Although because of what he witnessed and endured, not to mention the medications they have had him on. He is more socially awkward than you can imagine. He was desperate to express to me his sanity, but crippling anxiety hindered him greatly. I doubt that man has had more than fleeting words with anyone in the last eight years of his life, though from what I gather from him, he was never a social person. He trusts no one and is terrified of physical contact. Though he is willing to try and change it. He’ll need therapy, a lot of it really to get through everything. But there is no doubting his sanity. Do you want me to write up his recommendation for discharge for Emerson?” David nodded. “I’ll have it done and a copy faxed to both you and Emerson in mere minutes.” Both men thanked the doctor, who swiftly walked out the door of the BAU and back to his own department to get started on the paperwork. 

“Well thank you God for that. At least now he does not have to go back to that hellhole.” David sighed. 

“Was it really that bad?” 

“A state run facility for mentally unwell patients. It was all that and then some.” Morgan shuddered and both men had to acknowledge Spencer’s strong and determination to remain in the facility just to stay safe. The walked out of Hotch’s office and back into Rossi’s to the man that should have been part of their team. 

Spencer was looking at them anxiously as though waiting to hear the news, it irritated David that the doctor had not told Spencer of his diagnosis. “Clean bill of health kid, you’re as sane as the rest of us, though I am not sure what that implies as I am not sure I am entirely sane myself.” Morgan laughed his concurrence. 

“So do I have to go back?” 

“Never. You’re staying in our custody until we can guarantee your safety, then after that, we will be letting you off to do whatever you want. Well no, we’ll make sure you’re looked after. You’re the sole benefactor of both of your parents life insurance policies, once we prove you’re innocent we will be able to get the companies to pay up and that will allow you to start up your life again.” David smiled weakly. 

Spencer nodded and said something under his breath. “Is Dr Mitre alive?” he asked, continuing to stare at the floor.

“He was the last time we were talking to our boss.” Spencer just nodded his head while still not looking at anything in particular. 

“I am going to go get us something from the canteen, you must be hungry Kid?” Spencer nodded. “Want anything in particular.”

“A sandwich?” Spencer asked hopefully. Hope was not an emotion that should ever be associated with the idea of getting a sandwich as far as he was concerned. 

“Sure thing. Derek? The usual?” The larger built agent nodded and David walked out of the room. He knew that Spencer would rather him there, but he needed to get rehabilitated to different people and also Morgan was the one told to protect him. 

He had paid for the food and was on his way back to the BAU when his phone went off and he answered after he saw Hotch’s name onscreen. “Well, not good is it?”

“He died on the table.” 

“Were you able to get anything?”

“Yes, he kept saying ‘the number’ and ‘I was supposed to have another week’.” 

“Well that’s different.” Rossi tried to figure out what the number meant. It was obvious whatever Mitre had been told to get out of Spencer he still was supposed to have another week to get it. That didn’t go according to plan. 

“We got him assessed Hotch. Head of the Psych Department okayed him to be discharged from Emerson.”

“Good to hear, but he does not leave our side until we can ensure his safety. Did Garcia get anything?” 

“Not yet. But if it there to find she’ll get it.” 

“Keep me posted. We’re heading back now.”

David hung up the phone and continued to the BAU with the food. Upon arrival to his office was greeted by a bleary eyed Garcia and a studious Morgan. “What have we got?”

David looked at the man on the iPad Garcia held out for him. “The bomber, the kid recognises him as the other person at his home that night. He swears it’s him.”


	10. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team go home for the night. Rossi brings Spencer with him. What's the worst that could happen?

Spencer waited in David’s office as the team gathered and discussed the case in Hotch’s one next door. He read the remainder of the man’s published works before making his way through the works David own written by Jason Gideon. After finishing them, though Spencer suspected there were more, just not in this man’s collection, he made his way through the books David had on laws and bi-laws in Virginia and other states. He was interrupted half way through the bi-laws of Alabama when David and Hotchner walked into the room in a manner he found somewhat ominous. Spencer looked from one man to the other scared. 

“No need to worry Kiddo, we’re just here to tell you that we’re calling it a day and going home. We’ll resume the case again tomorrow.”

Spencer nodded, but internally he wondered what was going to happen with him. “You’re coming with me.” David answered Spencer’s unasked question. “Hotch and his son live in a small two bedroom apartment and Morgan is in a hotel at the moment, something about plasterers.” David waved his hand dismissively at the end of the comment. 

Spencer nodded and rose from the chair. He was terrified. Everything he was used to for the last eight years was gone. There was a sick sort of comfort in being locked up, routines mapped for him. He had wanted for so long to be free once again but now it terrified him. Not helped by the face there was someone very much looking for him and willing to sacrifice human life just to get to him. Surely he would be safe with the agents, he thought logically. 

“Morgan will be stationed outside your place for the night. He’ll be there for about ten thirty; he is gone to catch some sleep now. I have filled the paperwork for him to carry a secondary weapon also. I will be changing shifts with him at five AM. Jessica is working nights this week and is finished at four thirty. And she will be able to take Jack to school too.” David nodded in agreement with his boss and Spencer thought it best not to argue with the two agents. 

He followed the agents out of the office, through the almost empty bullpen say for a cleaner. They made their way through the building quick swiftly. Spencer said nothing as they walked, they reached the parking lot. Spencer shuddered as he saw the scorch marks where the car he had arrived in early that day had exploded. 

He continued to follow David even after Hotchner walked off in another direction biding the two a goodnight and heading to his own SUV. He stopped when David pulled out a set of car keys and pressed a button causing a nearby car to unlock. He was not well versed in motor vehicles and knew little about the makes and models, but even he could tell this car was neither cheap nor run of the mill, he knew it was a Mercedes by the emblem on the front. It was the kind of car his father always aspired to have, and he found himself wondering for a moment would he have ever seen through that aspiration had he not been murdered. 

He went to get into the back seat, however while his had been still hovering over the handle; he noticed the older man giving him a peculiar look and went instead to the front passenger door. He sat into the car, which was more luxurious than he thought cars could be and awaited the older man to start it nervously. 

“Don’t worry about a repeat of this afternoon, it was checked just before we came into the parking lot, we’re safe.” Spencer was both comforted and irritated by the others ability to profile him so easily. 

The car journey was pleasant; Spencer looked out the window at the Virginian town land and looked at the different Marine buildings that were scattered among the residential areas. There was no forced talking and the other mans seemed as happy as Spencer to travel in silence, though Spencer could feel him looking over at him every so often. 

They came to the end of their journey when the car pulled into a driveway of an extravagant house. Spencer could not believe that anyone could have a house that big. Both men exited the car and Spencer looked around nervously, freezing abruptly when he heard barking from the back garden. 

“Don’t tell me you’re frightened of dog’s kiddo?”

“I like animals; it’s just that the feeling is seldom mutual.” He shook as he spoke, it was true, he found animals fascinating and always wanted a dog, but they seemed to bark whenever he went near any of them. 

“Well these guys are in the yard so you’ll be fine.” David said as he fiddled with the door key. He went into the hallway and was shutting off the alarm when Spencer entered cautiously. Spencer looked around the extravagant home. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Won’t your wife be angry you’re brought home a stray?” 

“First off, there is no wife, just me. And secondly you’re not a stray, you’re a human being.” Spencer could not believe one single person could live in a house that easily must have had at least five or six bedrooms. “Now I will show you to a room.” The older man looked at him and Spencer realised the problem too. He had no clothes, no pyjamas, hell he didn’t even have a toothbrush. David pulled out his phone and Spencer heard him ask Agent Morgan to collect supplies for him. “Well he’ll be here in an hour so you’ll have what you need then.”

“I don’t have any money to pay for them.” Spencer’s face was crimson with embarrassment. He didn’t want to be some sort of charity case. 

“Considerate a loan, you can pay me back when you’re sorted.” Spencer nodded. Though he was doubtful he would ever be as settled as people thought he would be. David led him to a large bedroom and left him alone. “Call me if you need anything.” 

“Thank you Mister Rossi.”

“Let’s get this straight now Kiddo.” Spencer looked around. “It’s either David or Rossi. None of this mister stuff. I’m not a damn teacher.”

Spencer nodded once more. “Thank you Rossi.” 

“Anytime.” And the older man left the room, closing the door behind him. 

Spencer sat on the bed and moaned in pleasure as he lay back on the comfortable, clean, soft sheets. He closed his eyes and relaxed. 

“Dr Reid, hey, you alive in there?” Spencer opened his eyes groggily taking a moment to remember how he had gotten to the comfortable room. Then he heard the voice calling him again and shot up. “Dr Reid?”

“Sorry, I fell asleep.” He said quietly as he opened the door to Agent Morgan. 

“After the day you’ve had, I’m surprise you didn’t sleep for a week.” He agent smiled as he led the way back down the stairs. “Come, on Rossi’s cooked his delicious lasagne. From the looks of it, it’s been a hell of a long time since your last proper meal.” The agent looked back at Spencer’s nigh on emaciated frame as he spoke. In all honesty, even with an eidetic memory Spencer was hardly able to recall his last proper meal. With his mother’s illness he depended mostly on microwave dinners until he decided to take cooking classes in college, but sadly he had only gotten three months in before tragedy struck. 

The smell that hit Spencer as he descended the stairs caused his mouth to water. He followed the agent into a large open planned kitchen where he could see the older man cleaning a pot. He saw three large plates of food on the free standing counter with three large glasses of water. Spencer stood staring as the two other men sat and began to eat. After a moment they seemed to realise he was still standing staring at them. 

“Dr Reid, are you waiting for a written invitation because I am not accustomed to giving them?” David asked in a satirical tone. “Sit.”

Spencer rushed to the seat, tripping over his own feet as he did so. He could see Agent Morgan was doing everything he could not to laugh. 

He slowly picked up the fork and began to nibble at the food, earning disbelieving looks from the men. As soon as he chewed and swallowed he quickened his pace. Soon the plate was empty and he found himself looking at it as though willing more food to appear. 

Rossi rose from his chair and brought a dish to the table. “Eat however much you want.” Sincerity oozed from every word and Spencer cut himself another piece identical in size to the one he had just eaten. Again he polished off the plate, finally full. He knew he shouldn’t be so greedy, but he was so used to flavourless food that to finally taste different seasonings was amazing. Not once throughout the meal did any of them speak, but it was neither awkward nor unsettling. Spencer found it somewhat soothing.

“Well I better head outside. I’ll keep you posted alright?” Agent Morgan stated. David handed him food and two bottles of water. “Get some sleep, you’ll be fine.” He turned to Spencer as he spoke. Spencer nodded nervously at the floor. He could hear the other man sigh and knew it was from the frustration of him barely speaking. Morgan turned and went outside without another word. 

“He just wants you to adapt to the real world again.” Spencer looked at the Italian, baffled by his statement. “He feels bad that you should have been on our team, but that you were denied the chance.” Spencer looked to the door the agent had walked through mere moments before. “Now, I’m tired, there is a bag containing bed wear over there as well as a toothbrush, an actual brush and a few items of day clothes. We’ll sort you out with a proper wardrobe soon.” Spencer bit his lips together and walked to the bag to see that indeed everything the man said would be there was indeed present. 

“Thank you.” 

David smiled at the young man’s gratitude. “Just glad we can get you back on your feet Kiddo.”

Spencer walked out the door and back up the stairs. He recalled his bedroom having a bathroom attached so headed straight for it, closing and locking the door behind him as he entered the room. He emptied the bag onto the bed and took out what he needed. Bath towels were in a corner and he decided to take advantage of the showering facilities. He turned the facet for the shower and a loud thunderous noise occurred as water began to fall. Already he could see this as going to be pleasurable, the water pressure and temperature were beyond perfect. He stripped himself bare and got in. 

It took him a full twenty two minutes and fourteen seconds before he re-emerged from the shower, appreciating the hot water and privacy for the first time in eight years. He got into the pyjama’s Agent Morgan had gotten him, they were boring but comfortable. After taking the toiletries to the bathroom, he brushed his teeth and shaved for the first time since his self-inflicted incarceration, with a razor. Usually the hospital forced them to use unhygienic electric ones. He nicked himself twice but overall did okay and he combed out his long hair. As he looked in the mirror he began to think to himself that he really needed to consider getting it cut. 

He went back into the bedroom and curled up under the covers of the large comfortable bed. He found himself thinking of what would have happened were things to have turned out differently. Would he have gotten into the FBI? Could he have left his mother with her so ill? Would he have gotten on with the agents now protecting him? He thought of each of the agents from the day, of their different personalities. 

Of the conflicting professional demeanour of Agent Hotchner the stoic strong profiler and the father who clearly let his son mess up the back seat of his car with smudged windows, food wrappers and a soccer ball on the back seat. He wondered did he force his son to play or were they different to him and his father. 

He thought of the blonde Tech Girl, though she was loud, he liked her. She was clearly just and overly an outgoing person but she held no malice in her features.

He had little to do with the other two women, but wished to have spent more time watching them and learning their mannerisms and personalities. 

He thought of the agent now sitting in his car outside protecting him. How he had treated Spencer with respect all day, and Rossi’s comment about him feeling bad for Spencer being denied the chance to join them at the BAU. He wondered would they have had anything in common, probably not, but he would never know. 

And finally of the man who had trusted him do instantaneously, and who graciously opened his home to him, feeding him, clothing him and who was doing everything in his power to help him. He was trying to find the angle as to why the man was being so generous, but could think of none. He heard the man curse in the hallway as he collided with something. Spencer waited for a moment but when he heard the man swear he was getting rid of that “Damn table” he relaxed once more. 

He thought of the way Agent Rossi had taken to calling him “Kiddo” it seemed so belittling by itself, but it didn’t irk him. In fact, he enjoyed it a little. 

With a clean warm bed, a hot shower, fresh clothes and a full stomach, it took minutes for him to fall asleep. He was unsure how long he had been asleep when he was dragged from his comfortable slumber by the sensing of another person in the room. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself facing a gagged, cuffed and bleeding David Rossi with a gun to his head, and another one pointed at him. 


	11. Wake Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David Rossi goes to bed, only to get one hell of a wake up call

David Rossi was exhausted when he got into his large comfortable bed. Difficult cases always wore him out, but even nearing sixty, he was still going strong, though he often needed a good night’s sleep. But hell, the whole team were like that. He thought of his teammate in his car in the street, and hoped he was comfortable. He had the alarm code if he needed anything; he had given it to him earlier than evening. He thought of the kid sleeping down the hall. He knew he really shouldn’t be referring to a twenty four year old man as a kid. But the odd thing about him was he was both mature beyond his years, no doubt from caring for his ill mother, and very childlike in some of his behaviours, though he had no doubt that was a direct result of the conditioning to the different facilities he had resided in for the last few years. 

He shook the whole thing from his mind, he knew he would become restless and irritated thinking of the injustices done to the youth if he were to think too much more about it all just before he was going to sleep. The kid would be okay, he and the team would ensure it. They get him sorted once more. He closed his eyes, and let his tiredness take him. 

His sleep was brutally interrupted when he was thrown from his bed. It took a moment for him to grasp that what had just happened was not just some vivid dream. He recalled a sickening thud as he was projected from his bed. Shock meant that it took him a few minutes to realise that his head now throbbed painfully, and blood was trickling down his face. Before he had a chance to defend himself, something hard, and most likely metal connected painfully with his right temple, knocking him off balance once more. A strong hand forced his now badly assaulted head to the floor as they cuffed his hands tightly behind his back, though he knew it was futile, he pulled at the metal restraints, cutting his wrists as he did so. He saw red when one of his good silken handkerchiefs was then used as a gag. He thrashed as best he could, but his kneeling position and his strong capture meant he was easily controlled as a gloved hand grabbed his hair and pulled him to his feet. He obeyed begrudgingly and was forced out of the room. He was then able to notice, though it was very difficult to see straight with what he was willing to bet was a hell of a concussion, that his abuser was not alone in the room, there was another armed figure who pointed a Glock 22 right at him. Down the hall there was yet another hooded figure outside the room that he had given Spencer to sleep in. It groaned realising they had yet to make their presence known to him, and feared what they had planned for the frightened young man. 

His captor pushed him down the hall towards where the other two men were waiting one on either side of the door frame. It was then a chilling thought came into David’s disorientated mind. Morgan! Had they subdued him, or had they found a way in without alerting the ever vigilant agent. Then something else occurred to him, the alarm was set, it had not gone off and yet there were people in his home that should not know the code. Morgan would never have surrendered it. He would bet his life on it. His life. He thought for a moment as the men readied to sneak up on their true prey. These people had come to Quantico, to the headquarters of the FBI and put a bomb in their parking lot. They clearly had no respect for the authority if the FBI, meaning the life of an agent probably meant nothing to them too. He prayed they had not badly harmed his colleague and friend. 

By the time he had been pushed to the door the men had already quietly entered the room. He could hear the little breathing pattern of the sleeping man. His first night in a non-hospital setting in eight years and this was happening. David felt guilty for causing their current situation. He felt as though he failed the young man who finally put his trust in another human being only for it to be rubbed in his face again. His captor flung him through the door of the room and next to the bed, kneeling him up and placing the Glock to his temple once more. He saw Spencer stirring and his eyes focus on him as he woke, wide and terrified. He tried to look apologetic, trying to tell then youngster that he was sorry for not protecting him as he promised. One man not yielding a gun walked over to the bed, it was then David saw that part of his ear was missing. It was Sawyer. He winced, knowing the man was going to make Spencer pay for removing half of his ear. 

The large build man grabbed Spencer by the hair and dragged him from the bed, flinging him into the opposite wall. He yelped painfully as he connected with it. David watched as “Larry” walked over to the wall where the young man was shaking in a mixture of pain and terror. He watched and attempted to roar at him as he watched the large man grab Spencer’s throat and slide him up the wall by it. Spencer tried to fight, but if the spluttering sounds and now red face were anything to go by, he was being choked quiet painfully. 

“You’re lucky He wants you a live you little shit, or else I would kill you this instant.” Snarled the man. David and going by Spencer’s face, he too, believed it. The large built man left him slump to the floor once more before taking the gun from the Unsub not holding David, the other man then rushed over and cuffed the coughing and wheezing Spencer. 

He dragged him from the floor. And pulled him over next to David who looked at Spencer wanting to convey his regret and apologies. Spencer’s eyes were wide and watering from the coughing, but he seemed almost accepting of the situation. 

“What about the old timer?” asked the man holding a gun to David’s head. He was Hispanic, late twenties, scared, meaning he was only a lackey. David profiled as his paid attention to them 

“We were told to bring him, so we bring him you fucking idiot.” Larry snapped. 

“And the guy outside? What will we do with him?” David froze, he saw Spencer do the same as he thought of the dark skinned agent that had treated him so well. “He’ll draw attention to it all.” 

“Fuck him, there’s nothing he can do now. Three in the chest will do that to you.” Laughed Larry as he walked out of the room. David could heard Spencer whimper, he turned and the now gagged man was crying at hearing that they had shot Derek. 

Three in the chest he though, sighing in relief, there was still a chance. Morgan would have been wearing Kevlar. Had they known this? More than likely not. 

As they were dragged down the stairs and out the door, David noticed the clock. He sighed another sigh of relief. Hotch would be there in twenty minutes tops. Their captors wouldn’t have much of a head start, for that he was grateful. They were taken from the house and dragged down the driveway. He noticed his dogs weren’t barking and hoped the animals were okay. 

He looked at the car across the street. Morgan was slumped onto the steering wheel and there was a shiny substance that David knew was blood pouring down his face. He hoped and prayed for his friend as he and Spencer were shoved into a waiting car and it drove off.


	12. Why We want You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and David are told what this is all about.

Spencer was terrified, in actual fact he was beyond terrified. Whoever these people were, they had gotten him anyway, only now they had killed Agent Morgan, and when whatever use they had for David was finished, he was confident that the same thing would happen him. Tears flowed down his face as he thought of the other man who had promised to keep him safe. He had lost his life to keep that promise, and it was entirely his fault. Had he a family? Were his parents alive? Guilt took over as he thought of Morgan’s family and how they would spend their lives hating him for taking their loved one away. He felt a nudge from David, and looked over to him; the man was sporting a heavily bruised face and some very nasty cuts. His eyes seemed to appear as though he had a concussion. What had they done to him to get him to cooperate? He seemed to be trying to comfort Spencer, even with all of what was happening he was trying to help him, Spencer couldn’t understand why, he should hate him too. 

They had not been driving long before they came to a halt. Spencer had calculated they had been driving thirty minutes northward meaning they were somewhere halfway between Quantico and DC. David remained silent, but was watching the man next to him and the two men in the front seat. Spencer decided to do the same. Larry was barking instructions at the two others who obeyed without hesitation. Each of them grabbing one of their captives and dragging them from the car. Spencer realised just how cold it was by the hard rough ground under his feet and shivered as they were dragged by their hair into an unassuming home. Spencer couldn’t help but realise there was very few other residences in the nearby vicinity. No one would hear them if they called. It sent a shiver down his spine. 

Inside the house seemed normal, there was a sofa and television in the living room he noted as he was dragged through it. They were pulled through a small kitchen; Spencer was shocked to see a pregnant woman and child in there, cooking and eating breakfast. The disinterested look on the woman’s face scared him. One looked at David’s face made him realise he was underestimating the situation. The woman’s indifference seemed to positively terrified the older man. They were dragged into what appeared to be a garage, though there were a few things about it that made Spencer question for a minute. It seemed to be padded mostly with egg cartons and a strange padding, there was a solitary light on the ceiling meaning half the room was in darkness and there was plastic laid down everywhere, covering every surface. Spencer didn’t have to be a profiler, or look at the one next to him to know what the plastic was about, it was to stop a mess occurring, and it made cleaning blood a hell of a lot easier and left no trace of it in the garage. He could not control how much he shook as he and David were tied to two chairs facing one another with a table between them. Larry removed David’s gag and the agent moved his lips and jaw to try and stretch them. 

“What do you want with the kid?” he demanded. His answer was the chair being leant backwards until it toppled over, causing a loud crash and a thud as David’s head collided with the floor. Tears streaked Spencer’s pale face as he watched the other man suffer because of him. 

“The only thing you need to know old timer, is that you did not join your friend is because we know who you are.” Larry’s voice was low and menacing.

“And who am I?” Spencer could not believe with the injuries he had sustained and the severity of the situation, David was being so insolent. 

“You are Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi of the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit; you wrote the book on federal negotiation techniques and have stellar interrogation abilities. Aren’t I right?”

“And why does that mean I am still here?”

“Because you are going to get something from him if it is the last thing you do.” Larry pointed at Spencer, who shivered wondering what it was they wanted. 

“And what if I don’t?” 

“Well they, you surely saw what we did to Mitre, we will not show you the same mercy.” 

“What do you want from me?” Spencer’s voice shook as he spoke, but he swore to himself that no more of the FBI agents that could have been his colleagues would suffer because of him. He would never forgive himself for SSA Morgan’s death, but he would do everything in his power to prevent David’s.

“A particular number. You see ten years ago, your precious father was told to do something for mine. To hide something, and he did, the only thing is, two years later, when my father asked for him to retrieve it, your foolish father claimed ignorance. He swore blind no transaction ever took place. So we went to your quant little house in the suburbs to kindly ask your father where it was. And well, let’s just say even his wife’s agonising screams were not enough to change his mind in revealing its whereabouts.” Spencer sobbed as the reason for his mother’s death was revealed. He never thought it possible to hate his father more, but he was proven wrong. “As the last breath threatened to leave her pathetic simple body, she muttered something about the safety deposit box. Your father of course still refused to speak so well, Donny here slit his throat.” Larry took great pleasure in Spencer’s grief. Laughing as he watched him sob violently.   
“So you want the safety deposit box number.” David asked. 

“And we all go away and you can get on with your lives.” Donny smiled maliciously. 

“Somehow I doubt that.” Spencer looked at David’s sceptical face. The profiler saw through their lies. “You’d leave a witness and a FBI agent to testify against you?”

“We’d have to be caught first. And I was referring to you and your team, little Spencer here is joining Mommy and Daddy no matter what the outcome, solely for the inconvenience of it all.”

Spencer stopped whimpering, he was going to die regardless. He remained silent and thought about what was just said. 

“We’ll leave you two alone for a while, shall we, I’m feeling hungry.” Donny laughed as he, Larry and the still unknown third person left the room. 

“What makes you think the kid even knows about the number?” David called to them. 

“He has an eidetic memory, he would have seen it somewhere around that little shithole of a house, after all there wasn’t even an office.” Larry replied without looking back, and then slammed the door. 

“Spencer, Spencer I am so sorry we let you down Kiddo.” Spencer said nothing. “We’ll get you out of this.”

“What’s the point; you heard them they’re going to kill me regardless, just like they did Agent Morgan.”

“Morgan was wearing Kevlar under his jacket, FBI jackets are designed to make it look like you’re not wearing it, and they never referred to taking off his Kevlar meaning they more than likely never knew he had it. And from what I could see he was still wearing the jacket. Do you honestly think they would get him to take off the jacket, and then the Kevlar only to then put back on the jacket to shoot him?” 

Spencer looked at David’s bloodied face. “But he was slumped over.” 

“They hit his head; he was probably just out cold. It’s been how long since we were taken?”

“About one hour and twelve minutes.” Even with a concussion and a badly injured face he could still make out the odd look on David’s face. “I don’t know how I know these things, I just do.”

“We sure as hell missed out with you. That means Hotch would have found Morgan by now and they are aware we’re missing. That’s good, they won’t announce it though, and they won’t want to give away how much they know. Back to us, can you remember anything about a safety deposit box, anything at all?” 

“No, my father always left his work at work, as they said, we didn’t have a study. Well we did but Mom would raid it every so often in one of her episodes and after she burnt every document in it one time when I was thirteen, my father kept his work files out of the house.”

“Right, did you ever visit your father’s office?”

“Twice, once when I was eight, he brought me, and when I was fifteen and wanted to talk to him about getting the doctors to up Mom’s meds because she was seeing things again.”

“Okay at eight the situation hadn’t occurred yet, but at fifteen it had, did you see anything you shouldn’t have in your dad’s office?” Spencer winced. “What? Spencer you have tell me.” 

“It’s nothing to do with this.”

“Tell me and I’ll tell you if it is or isn’t.”

“It isn’t.”

“Spencer?”

“Fine you want to know, I saw him with the secretary, they were a bit preoccupied to notice me, so I left again.” Anger caused more tears to fall as Spencer yelled the sordid information. This had to be the second worst day of his life, and it was only six AM.


	13. Innterogations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donny and Larry want answers, can Spencer give them?

Dave was under no illusion of just how much trouble they were in, and Spencer’s reluctance to talk about his father meant things were not going to be getting any easier anytime soon. But he worried for the younger man and indeed himself. When Spencer had heard that regardless of whether or not their captors got what they were looking for he was going to die, David had anticipated fear, maybe even anger, but certainly not acceptance. Spencer seemed all too willing to meet such a fate, he could see the guilt in his eyes and knew it was for the perceived death of Morgan as well as his capture, the youth felt as though he had let them down and not the other way around. They were the FBI, and they had failed at keeping one kid safe. He closed his eyes for a moment and prayed that Aaron and the team were after cordoning off all routes and starting the search, and that Morgan was indeed wearing his Kevlar, several bruised ribs would be nothing compared to the loss of a friend. 

He took a breath and decided to try and work on seeing if Spencer could recall the number once more. Whatever was in that box; was completely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things as far as he was concerned. “Spencer?” The young man looked at him. “Spencer, where did your father bank?”

“Citibank. Why?”

“Did he have a Safety Deposit box there?”

“Not that I know of. I never saw anything to suggest he did.” Spencer’s eyebrows were furrowed. He was doing everything in his power to remember anything of use. “No, he definitely didn’t.” He seemed so positive.

“How are you so sure?”

“I remember four weeks before they, they were…” he took a breath to calm himself. “I was home for the weekend, and he had a letter from the bank on the kitchen table. It was asking if he wanted to upgrade his services. One on the services they wanted him to add was a safety deposit box facility. You wouldn’t offer that...”

“If the customer already had one.” David finished. “Would he have had two different accounts, one for work and one for personal use?”

“No, definitely not. That one was the one he used for everything.” Spencer was so certain David couldn’t but believe him. 

“What about your mother, she could have had an account from before she was ill?”

David couldn’t help but notice Spencer’s lip flick up momentarily in contempt. “When she got sick my father got a doctor to sign off that she was mentally unwell and that was enough to get her finances put into his name and close any and all accounts in her name.” David was glad this man was dead, because if he wasn’t, he’d kill him himself. Not a single thing he had heard about William Reid or his actions seemed to benefit anyone but the man himself. 

“Okay, joint accounts?” 

“Mom never allowed it; my father enjoyed the more extravagant things, my mom, the simpler. She knew he would be likely to spend his whole income and hers too trying to live the corporate lawyer lifestyle. She had saved nearly a hundred thousand when he got his hands on it. She wanted to make sure I got the college of my choice. Thankfully I had scholarships. William used only give me forty bucks a week to live.” David looked at the young man across from him; he had to admit the kid was far stronger and more capable than he had ever thought possible. “She’d have liked you, my Mom. She didn’t have time for beating around the bush or for false pretences.” He looked at Spencer who had a small smile on his face. 

 

“Sounds to me like we would either have gotten on well, or went for each other’s throats.” All things considered, it was getting off track, but Spencer being comfortable enough to talk, he knew, was going to be half the battle. 

“Probably.” Spencer acknowledged. “I’m trying to remember Rossi, but I can’t, honestly.”

“I know kiddo. We’ll keep at it.” 

“But for me not to remember something means I haven’t seen it. My memory is eidetic; it cannot forget these things even if I try.”

“Look, we all see things every single day and we don’t remember them because we dismiss them, you are human too so you do it, even without realising it.”

The door reopened and their captors returned. David could smell the food from the kitchen. They had indeed just gone inside to eat. They were only starting their day. 

“Hope you gentlemen had a good chat while we were inside. So Spencer, have anything you want to tell us?” Larry’s voice was calm and calculated. 

“I don’t know anything about a stupid safety deposit box, my father never had one.” Spencer snarled. David was shocked by the young man’s ferocity. 

“Why would your mother say otherwise?” Donny demanded. 

“She was mentally unsound. You worked in that place for two days before you got near me; you know those people were rambling constantly. She was just like them.” David saw the pain in Spencer’s eyes as he dismissed his mother as just some lunatic. But they needed to discredit her claims, if there was box, then they had to think of where else it could be, but what was in it?

“What exactly are you looking for?” David ventured to ask. 

“That’s none of your concern old man.” Donny answered snidely. 

“It is when you want me to help you delve into his memory and find it.”

“Just get the damn number.” Larry roared. David and Spencer jumped. 

“He cannot remember anyone in his family having a safety deposit box and he is telling the truth so you’re going to have to tell us so we can see if he remembers anything about what you are actually looking for, use some sense for Christ’s sake.” David was prepared for what happened next, it didn’t make it any less painful as Donny’s fist collided with his stomach. It was times like this he wished he’d have been able to let himself go like other men his age and eating as much as he liked as opposed to having to keep in some sort of shape for the Bureau Field Qualifications every few months. 

“Stop, he has nothing to do with this.” Spencer shouted. David noted the lack of fear in the younger man’s voice. 

“When he took you out of the hospital and got Mitre to sing like a fucking canary he became everything to do with this. So you have two choices you little shit, tell us the number or we are going to continue to hurt your new best buddy here until you do.” Larry smiled wickedly. David knew he would stay true to his promise, and prepared himself for the worst. Spencer didn’t know of any such number, let alone where the box such a number could belong to was. He found himself wanting to resurrect William Reid only to kill him again for what he was putting his son through. 

“There isn’t a Deposit Box, there isn’t a number, just please tell me what you are looking for and I will know whether or not I have seen it.” Spencer pleaded. 

“There is a box. We know there is, it’s at Sunstrust in DC so stop trying to bullshit us.” David watched as Spencer received the same treatment he had a minute before only from Larry. Spencer coughed violently he was winded severely from the blow. 

“And that is only for starters, I am going to make sure you pay you for what you did to my ear you scrawny little bastard.” 

“If you want me to be able to get anything out of him, you’re going to have to stop beating seven sorts of shit out of us. I can barely see out of my right eye and winded people tend not to be able to talk so he won’t be able to give you any damn number.” David said calmly, looking at the two assaulting captors, though he always kept an eye on the silent, yet to be named member.

“Fine, you think you can get him to talk? You didn’t before.” Donny grabbed David by the hair and pulled his face up to look at his. 

“Well you have given me something to work with now that I didn’t have ten minutes ago haven’t you? I now have a bank name, that actually helps believe it or not.” A backhand to the face was what he received for his sarcastic comment, better than a punch he maintained. 

“Well do whatever it is you do then.” Ordered the previously silent third man.

“Oh look, he speaks. I thought you used your word quota for the day when you broke into my house this morning, speaking of which, how did you get passed my alarm?” David kept his voice nonchalant.

“Your friend was kind enough to have had it on the seat next to him. That sort of stupidity could kill a man, well, it did.” Donny laughed again. 

David’s blood ran cold. They had leant into Morgan’s car, could they have checked for a pulse? Could they have known about the Kevlar? It took everything in his power not to shake in fear for his friend. He knew he had to worry about getting himself and Spencer out of their situation. He wondered how to get them closer to civilisation again, and heighten their chances of being found. 

“Did ye search my home?” He looked up to see Spencer staring down Larry. 

 

“Well that was obviously the first place we checked you little wise ass.” Was the response. 

“All of it?”

“What do you mean?” Larry demanded. 

“What I mean is with a paranoid schizophrenic for a mother, my father was forced to create a few little cubbyholes so she couldn’t find things he had to keep in the house. There wasn’t many and they never held anything too important. Car insurance forms and stuff really, but he may have hidden something about a bank account there, because as far as I am aware, he never had an account with Sunstrust. What is the story with the house now?” 

The men seemed unsure looking to one another. “It’s vacant. People keep saying it’s haunted.” David filled him in. Spencer looked at him. “Garcia checked. The state wanted to sell it but have never been able to.”   
“So it’s unoccupied?” Spencer asked. 

 

“Yes.”

Larry grabbed Spencer by the nightshirt. “We’re going to bring you there and you are going to show us every nook and cranny of that house, do you hear me?” 

“You don’t need me there, please you can’t take me, I’ll write down everywhere you will find one, just don’t make me go.” David could see Spencer was playing to their sadistic side, wanting him to suffer, but at the same time he knew the kid was going to be in agony going back to the place he lost his life, figuratively rather that literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Googled the bank names so if they don't actually exist or are no longer in existence, my bad!!!!


	14. Home, Bitter Sweet, Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer goes back to his childhood home, is what they need there?

The men left the room planning how to ensure they got to through DC and to Spencer’s old home in Maryland undetected. Spencer watched as they left, wondering what else they were going to discuss once out of the room. Were they going to going to keep David behind as leverage, or bring him to torture if Spencer was lying? He grimaced at the thought of going to his old home, the place he used feel so safe, but now the thought of the small plain two storey building filled him with fear and anguish. His hatred for his father was worse than he could have ever imagined. It was sickening enough he could not stay true to his marriage vows, but to get his wife killed because of his own greed caused Spencer’s blood to boil. 

“Is there actually cubbyholes in the house?” David asked. Spencer looked over guiltily at the other man, and took it his now badly assaulted face. Most of the blood seemed to stem from within the hairline as opposed to his face itself, but there was still bruising and a split lip. 

He nodded. “One in his room, one in the kitchen and one in the used-to-be office. Like I said, there was nothing of real value there, but still, it gets us closer civilisation and heightens our chances of being found alive. After all, what is the likelihood of your team checking the status of my home and deciding to check it out?” 

“Pretty high. I’m impressed, I hadn’t thought of that.” 

“Where do you think they’ve gone?” 

“Not sure. Guess we can only wait and see.” David was unsure as to whether Spencer was talking to him or to himself. 

They did not have to wait long; the yet unnamed man returned and threw clothes on David’s lap, the Italian looked down with a raised eyebrow and then looked back at their captor. “And what, pray tell, am I supposed to do with these?”

“Don’t be a smart ass, you put them on.” The man snarled, before taking out a Colt handgun and aimed it at Spencer’s head. Spencer just stared at the man. 

“How am I supposed to put it on when I am handcuffed to a chair?” David seemed to decide with a gun to Spencer’s head to lay off the sarcasm. Though Spencer could see Larry behind David, the old man could not. The malicious man grabbed David’s arm and held it in a way that the man contorted his face and hissed in pain. 

“I will uncuff you. One wrong move and little Spencey here has his brains blown across the room, understood?” David nodded. There was a click as the handcuffs were opened. David rubbed his bloodied wrists. 

“Can I at least clean these up?” He held up his hands. Larry nodded and called for Donny to get the first aid kit. “And a cloth for my face?” That too was called for. David took his time cleaning the wounds and dressing them, before getting his face sorted. He then stripped from his night clothes and into the slightly wrongly sized day clothes, but he said nothing as he stood up straight. “Now what?” 

“You sit down and shut up, that’s what.” David obeyed. The Colt then was aimed at him as the same situation occurred with Spencer. He obeyed, getting out of the ruined bed clothes and cleaning himself up, he didn’t need as many bandages but he still had to clean a few wounds. He was less than pleased at having to go around with no underwear on but he knew this wasn’t the time for complaining. When he finished he watched Larry pull on the Glock from earlier and put it behind his back. “No funny business either of you and you may actually live through this agent.” He forced Spencer forward and walked him out of the room and back through the house. The pregnant woman again looked disinterested, asking the men about something about dinner when they returned. It scared Spencer that she could see them like that and not care. 

They were cuffed, shoved into the large trunk of a van and a cover put over them. The van took off at what seemed to Spencer a ridiculous speed, but was probably normal, until the men took a corner sharply and as he crashed into a defenceless David, then he decided they really were going as fast as he thought. He hoped they didn’t run into any cops, the risk of them getting tailgated was too high for his comfort. David grunted and he did his best to get off of the older man, aided by another ridiculously sharp turn, which caused both men to be flung the other way, crashing David into him. He felt lucky that it was only his leg the agent slammed into. 

This was the pattern for approximately forty seven minutes. Until finally the car came to a halt and Spencer tried to ready himself for whatever happened next. The car doors opened and they heard the men get out. Moments later the trunk was opened and the cover taken off them. Both men were dragged out simultaneously and thrown on the grass. Spencer noticed it was long and somewhat unkept. He looked around and gulped, it was his old front yard. He felt overwhelmed at the memory of that evening eight years previous. He thought of how he saw his father’s car and the open door. He looked up, the door was no longer green, it had been painted yellow, but essentially it was still the same door. He was forced to his feet and pushed up the path, he could sense the David getting the same treatment behind him. 

“How are we supposed to get in?” Donny asked Larry. 

“We go to the back door, same as last time.” Larry replied. Spencer shuddered. How frightened must his mother have been to see these two large menacing men coming into her home. They probably treated her the same way they were being treated now. 

 

“You may not need to.” Spencer said in a low voice. 

Larry grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up to eye level with him. “What do you mean?” 

“There used be a key, under a fake rock in the garden, that’s the same door, the same lock as when I lived here, it might still be here.” Larry nodded and let go of Spencer who walked over to the aforementioned false rock, he kicked it with the sports trainer he had been given to wear, being handcuffed meant he could not pick it up himself. Larry pushed him back so he couldn’t try anything why he bent down. After getting the stone he turned it upside down, sure enough it was the stone Spencer had bought to hide his key in so his mother couldn’t find it in the house and hide it in one of her episodes. Larry failed to open the compartment and threw the false stone against the ground. 

“That’s neither going to help nor make all of this seem inconspicuous.” David’s voice was bored as he spoke. 

“Zip it.” Donny elbowed the older man hard into the kidney. 

“Stop please.” Spencer hissed, trying to not get any attention drawn to them. “Just uncuff me and I’ll open it. I won’t go anywhere.”

Larry spun the youth around and more violently than Spencer thought necessary and uncuffed him. “You try to run, I gut him, got it?” Spencer nodded. He picked up the rock and flicked the plastic slip out of the way and got to the key. He held up the shaped metal and looked at the vicious man. The man looked from Spencer to the door and back to him again. He knew what that meant; he was to open the door. He took a deep breath and walked up to it. Taking the key he put it to the lock and remembered it had to go right before it went left. The small memory shook him; he wished he never left the hospital, and that he never had to come back to the house. He heard the lock click and walked in. 

It was nearly the same, painted different colours and new upholstery but the same generally. He looked around and shuddered, before being pushed into the living room, it was clean and tidy, but that wasn’t what stuck in his mind. He remembered the blood; it covered the carpet, the walls, hell even some on the ceiling from his father’s throat. Facts about arterial blood supply came into his head. He shut his eyes and tried to think of anything to make it leave, but all that flashed through his mind was that evening and his parent’s bodies. 

He felt David watching him; he knew the other man was going to understand the emotions he was displaying. He found himself wondering how many times in his long and illustrious career he had seen the same face. Mourning family members were probably nothing new to the veteran profiler. 

He walked to the kitchen, the sooner he did what was asked, the sooner he was away from the house again or dead; both were preferable to looking around his own personal hell. 

He walked over to the counter; he just looked at it and sighed. “The first one is gone.”

As Larry leant over him with a gun to his head, he snarled. “What do you mean, gone?” 

“Exactly that, these are different counters. Whoever altered them, would have found it, but as I said, I am pretty sure it was nothing of interest anyway.” He explained calmly. He watched as Larry stared at the clearly new counters, before he grunted. Spencer assumed that meant continue so he did, not receiving any retribution as he did. They went up the stairs to where there had been the office. Again it had been changed, Spencer watched as again Larry grunted and said nothing. Spencer was surprised. Two of the hiding places were gone and the man was not the least bit angry. It terrified him, and one quick glance at David’s face said the same. Why wasn’t he reacting? 

He walked into his father’s room. It had been changed to look like a children’s room, but he noticed the fittings were the same. He went over to a vent in the wall and was easily able to pry it open; he then stood back and left room for the men to bend down. Larry looked at him as he kept his hands behind his back and his head down, trying to seem as unassuming as possible. Spencer watched as the man pulled a container from the wall and opened it. He flicked through everything once, then again. On the second search he pulled out a page and was smiling. 

“Well?” Donny asked. 

 

“Got it.” He held up the paper wielding the bank’s name and crest. He turned to Spencer “I knew you were lying, you little shit.”


	15. I.D. and Identification.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With paper in hand, Spencer is sent to retrieve what is wanted, but will the men find what they are looking for?

David saw the paper in the man’s hand. He feared that now the team had what they wanted they had what they wanted; he and Spencer had become disposable. 

“There seems to be a problem though.” He looked to Spencer, who had an odd smile of his face. 

“Which is?” demanded Donny. 

“That account is somehow in my mother’s name. I thought my father got rid of them, but if you think you’re going to get in to that bank and just ask for that box you can’t. Only next of kin can.” The youth explained. Dave smiled; they would be alive for another while yet. And there was no way Garcia wouldn’t have anything in the Reid’s names flagged. They may get out of this yet. 

“You’re next of kin though right?” Donny asked. 

“That’s a very astute observation.” Spencer said taking on Dave’s bored demeanour. The brutish man was about the hit the younger. “I wouldn’t do that, if I go in covered in bruises they will assume I am being coerced and call the police. If you want me to get in and out unnoticed with that box, I have to look normal.” He smiled wolfishly. David laughed. Spencer was showing no fear, he knew they would be annoyed by it; he was stronger that David gave him credit for. 

Larry pulled Donny back. “The Little twerp is right.” He walked over to Spencer and punched the wall next to his head. “If you alert anyone to what is going on, we will make David here pay dearly. Understood? Donny will be joining you in the bank.”

“Not the most appealing company, but I can’t really be picky can I?” Spencer shrugged. The brutish man cracked his knuckles at Spencer’s insolence. David could not understand the younger man’s reason for baiting their captor, but he could see the youngster had a plan concocted, so he said nothing. 

“I am going to need my driver’s licence. I had it hidden in my room.” He looked to Larry who seemed somewhat confused. “I am going to need identification when I go in there. You hardly think they are going give it to me. I could be just about anybody. I’ll need that paper and a form of I.D. as I said previously; I have a driver’s license in my room.” 

Larry stood behind Spencer and indicated for him to move, Spencer walked out the door followed by the other man. Donny pushed Dave, who walked forward, the unknown man bringing up the rear. 

They reached a small room at the end of the hall; Spencer left out a little laugh and mentioned it looked the exact same. David noted it was not big enough for the five of them, but he profiled it from the hall, neatly designed, everything placed in a place where it allowed for the maximum floor space, he was unsurprised to see there was both a bookcase and several shelves, no doubt they used to be filled with the young man’s books maybe even a figurine or two, he struck David as a sci-fi fan. 

He watched as Spencer went to a bed side locker that was for some unknown reason nowhere near the bed. He moved it and knelt down. With his back in the way, David was unable to see past the young man, but he could hear wood being lifted. He saw Spencer holding a small box when he turned around. Larry grabbed it off him and David noticed Spencer’s bemused face. After a moment of trying to open it Larry seemed to realise, that like the rock outside, there was a knack to opening the small box. He thrusted it into Spencer’s stomach winding him once again. 

David felt himself getting annoyed, but knew that if there was any chance if them being found, he and Spencer would have to remain level headed at all costs. He stood silent and waited as Spencer regained his breath and opened the box. Larry took it once more and held up its contents. Twenty-five dollars in ones and fives which the man pocketed, a few museum ticket stubs, an acceptance letter to CalTech, both of which were discarded and a drivers licence. 

“How did you have a full licence at sixteen?” demanded Donny. 

“I got my provisional at fourteen.” Explained the youth, his voice hoarse from the two windings he had had. 

“And the college acceptance?” asked the unknown man, eyes wide as he was able to read the page that had been thrown to the floor near them. 

“That was my first college acceptance letter; I had a PhD in Mathematics by the time you lot fucked up my life.” David was surprised to hear the timid man swear. 

“Whoops.” Laughed Larry. “So you’re a genius then?”

“No shit, glad you’re finally up to speed.” David let slip before he could bite his tongue. 

The man was going for him when Spencer interjected. “Shouldn’t we move out before the FBI arrives? They will notice this place is still vacant and will more than likely check here.” 

It was clear to David none of the men holding them hostage had even thought about that and they momentarily panicked. Larry took charge and ordered them downstairs, with the page from the bank referring to the box and the I.D. they had everything they needed so they left swiftly, not even taking the time to put the key back in its hiding place. David could not believe their luck. The team would realise very quickly that they had been there by the mess the men had made and know they were still in the immediate area. Both men were thrown into the truck once more and hidden, before the three men got into the car and they drove off once more. After ten minutes, unbeknownst to David and Spencer, or indeed any of the other occupants of the car, SSA’s Alex Blake and Jennifer Jareau passed by in a FBI SUV heading to Spencer’s old house to see if it held any clues. 

It wasn’t long before David could hear car horns, voices and other signs to signify they had made it into the city. He felt the car go over a bump, but it was sharp, so he guessed it was actually a step. Then it came to a halt. He heard doors opening, the occupants getting out. The sound of footfalls to the back of the car became clearer and the trunk was opened, the men were pulled out and made stand. David noticed they were in a small and somewhat unpleasant smelling alleyway. Spencer was straightened out as much as possible, but ill fitted clothes and messed up hair didn’t help. They were then both shoved into the car with their captors, who exited the alley and headed for what David could only assume, was the bank. 

Sure enough they arrived at their destination a mere fifteen minutes later. Sunstrust Bank seemed like every other DC bank to David, boring and business like. He sat and waited. Donny got out of the car and went around to Spencer’s side of the car. He noticed the young man looking at him sadly. 

“Just go in, stay calm and get what they want okay Kiddo? Don’t bow you’re head down, you’ll raise suspicion.” For a moment David though that Larry was going to tell him to shut up, but he remained silent, allowing the man give the advice. “Look those you deal with in the eye and do not scratch, fidget or sigh when waiting. Understood.” It seemed basic advice, easy to follow and nothing odd about it to their captors, but he was hoping Spencer would get the meaning behind it all. Make sure they saw his face to make him easier to recognise. Frightened people do not tend to fidget, making him rouse their suspicions more. Spencer nodded, making David think he did understand. 

“Just remember, you little shit, one wrong move and I will gut your friend here. You don’t want another person to die because of you do you?” Larry reminded the young man. Spencer’s eyes were wide with guilt and fear; he shook his head and got out to join Donny. Once to two left the car, Larry drove off down the street, away from the bank, but still in view of it. And they waited. 

David sat silent, hoping that Spencer would remain calm and yet alert the bank personnel to his presence. It seemed a long wait, but was in fact less than thirty minutes. David could see Spencer and Donny coming towards them. Spencer’s face fearful, Donny’s livid. This wasn’t good. They got into the car. 

“Where is it?” Larry demanded.

“It wasn’t there.” Donny replied. 

“What the fuck do you mean it wasn’t there? It had to be there. That loony bitch said it was.”

“It wasn’t, it was all just paperwork and a few things like a watch and a few earrings.”

David looked at Spencer, who looked back at him regretfully. His heart went out to the kid, he did everything they asked and they still were no closer to getting out of this and the men’s patience were wearing thin. 

“My father is going to have our heads for this.” Larry slammed his fists into the steering wheel. David gasped, Michael Sawyer, he was behind it. Hopefully Garcia would work her magic and get to the bottom of it. “We can’t come back without that gem.” This was all about some diamond or something, David thought spitefully. A little shiny fucking rock. 

He looked to Spencer to see if he thought the same. He was not prepared for the look on the boy’s face. One look told David everything, Spencer now knew what they were looking for and he clearly knew where it was.


	16. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer goes into the bank, but fails to find what their captors want, but when he gets back to the car they reveal the object of their desire, but can Spencer reveal to them where it is?

Spencer was terrified going into the bank. He couldn’t help but think if it all went wrong what would happen to the man outside in the car who had been so good to him. He thought of what David had said, how to alert the staff without giving away anything to the brute that was standing with him. He walked up to the information desk and explained about the box and handed over his passport as proof of identification. The woman typed his details into the computer, for a moment her eyes went wide and she looked from the screen to Spencer and back to the screen again, before calling over her supervisor. The supervisor seemed to read the screen before smiling at Spencer and guiding him to a desk and chair towards the back of the bank, Donny remained by his side like an overly loyal dog. It was more than irritating, but clearly the staff noticed too as they looked at him. Spencer waited and within minutes a box was placed in front of him. He noticed it was safe coded and thought for a moment, what six numbers would his mother likely to use. He thought for a few moments about what dates were of most substantial importance to her. Probably not her wedding day, or her birthday, perhaps…surely it wouldn’t be so simple? He decided it was his best shot. He typed in 100987, his birthday. He waited for a moment as the little light in the corner of the box flashed red three times before turning green. He heard a small click and the lid popped open. Donny was physically leaning against him as he lifted the lid fully to see the contents inside. 

There were papers, quite a lot of them actually. They were mostly bonds and shares given to his mother by her father, who Spencer remembered was also an intelligent man, looking after his family with hard work and good financial decisions. There were life insurance letters, as well as others regarding his care pending her and William’s untimely deaths. Spencer glanced bitterly over his shoulder at one of those responsible for the said event occurring. He continued through the pile, there was a gold pocket watch with the Reid family crest on it, pearl earrings from the earlier half of the twentieth century if his guess was correct, and more papers and a photo of him, his mother and father and his maternal grandparents from when he was an infant. Donny swore under his breath as the empty box lay on the table in front of them, but there was something more. It was not in anger but in fear. That worried Spencer, whatever these men feared, he had no doubt he should fear too. 

They rose to leave after Spencer put everything back into the box. The Supervisor came over once he had closed the lid once more. “Find what you were looking for Dr. Reid?” Spencer froze, he had introduced himself as Spencer Reid, not as doctor, they knew who he was. They no doubt alerted the FBI that he had been there. Thankfully Donny was too worried about whatever they were looking for not being in the box to notice the man reference to Spencer’s doctorates. 

“No, sorry. I will be back again, but we’re sort of under time constraints, I have someone waiting on me.” Spencer smiled. The supervisor nodded, taking the box back as they left. Spencer could feel Donny pushing against him to get out the door. He hoped the supervisor would relay that message to the FBI, letting them know that David was alive too, for now. 

Spencer walked out of the bank with Donny, worried for a moment when he could not see the car, but Donny pulled him by the shoulder down the street where he saw the SUV, he sighed in relief for a moment before remembering they still had to worry about the item not being there, whatever the hell the damn thing was. He would do anything to give them what they wanted at this stage. He still maintained he had little chance of surviving, but hopefully David might. 

They got to the car and Donny threw him in, he stopped in time to not collide with David, who helped him right himself. 

“Where is it?” Larry demanded.

“It wasn’t there.” Donny replied. 

“What the fuck do you mean it wasn’t there? It had to be there. That loony bitch said it was.” Spencer flinched at the reference to his mother. 

“It wasn’t, it was all just paperwork and a few things like a watch and a few earrings.”

Spencer could feel David looking at him; he looked back at the older man regretfully. 

“My father is going to have our heads for this.” Larry slammed his fists into the steering wheel. “We can’t come back without that gem.”

A gem. Spencer’s heart stopped. All noise blurred out. It suddenly made all made sense. He remembered his father giving his mother a necklace, nearly ten years ago. It was locket, but like none he had ever seen before. It was spherical as opposed to thin. It was gold, 9ct if he recalled, but its contents were what he noted. A small jewel, a ruby. Spencer thought nothing of it; his mother was born in July, a ruby was that month’s birthstone. It was set in the locket so he thought it was a laboratory manufactured one, and as such would be of little value. But clearly it of more than he thought. He noticed David staring at him. He knew the man could tell that he finally realised what they were looking for. He bit his lips together and thought, surely David could see the fear and regret in his face. 

It took him a while to hear ambient and other less normal noises, such as angry voices, and longer again before he realised that the car was on the move once more. He just stared ahead, not paying attention to where they were going or what they passed on the way. He didn’t know if anyone attempted to engage him, or if indeed anyone said anything referring to him. He only heard noise, he knew they were voices, but they were muffled as he stayed thinking to himself about the item of their desire. 

After a while, surprisingly his usually astute mind did not register how long, he felt himself being pulled out of the vehicle, he looked around, they were probably still in the District. They seemed to be in a sort of warehouse, he knew he should care, but he was more concerned with the new information. He was dragged into an office, forced to sit on a chair and tied to it, across from him, David was given the same treatment. The men cursed again and walked out of the office. Spencer could hear them talking in the hall, they were terrified, wondering about contacting the perhaps soon-to-be senator. They hadn’t gotten what they wanted and now there was going to be hell to pay. They’d killed one Fed; they were after kidnapping another, not to mention bombing the doctor at Quantico, the headquarters of the FBI. The unknown third man was panicking. Spencer could tell the men were on the edge of becoming unstable. 

“Kiddo?” Spencer heard the Italian call him. “Come on kid talk to me.” He looked around. The older man’s face wasn’t a pleading one, just one of calm. “You know what they are talking about, the gem. Don’t you?” Spencer just nodded. “Do you know where it is?” Spencer took a moment to answer, he didn’t want to think about it, but he had a good guess where it would be, so he nodded again. “Where is it?” he just stared at David, saying nothing. “Come on Spencer, they are freaking out about Daddy Dearest going apeshit over this rock, they will kill you if they realise you’re hiding something and won’t tell them.” 

“I can’t.”

“No, you won’t. There’s a difference.” He could tell David was not fearful, just annoyed. 

“No, I can’t.”

“Why not? Where could it possibly be that would make you gladly go to the grave before telling anyone?” Spencer laughed to himself for a moment at the irony of the older man’s comment. “You know you can tell me.”

Spencer knew that was true. He took a deep breath before speaking. “My father gave my mother a spherical locket nearly ten years ago for her birthday, in it was a ruby, her birth stone. I thought it was just a cheap one, but…”

“You think it’s the one they’re looking for?” Spencer nodded. “Have you any idea where it could be now.”

Spencer gulped and closed his eyes. “My mother loved it, it was her favourite thing in this world, her most prized possession, and everyone knew it. She was wearing it that night, the so the only place I can think it could be is…” he looked to David, tears in his eyes. 

“With her now.” David finished. “In the grave.”

Spencer nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if safety deposit boxes have passcodes or keys. Doesn’t matter really, this is just a story. 
> 
> In the show, Spencer’s birthday is documented as October 9th 1981, since I made him 6 years younger, I altered the year of birth accordingly. 
> 
> And yes, things are about to get morbid!!!


	17. The Situation at Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daivd and Spencer wait and see what the men have in store for them.

David sighed, letting the new information sink in. This was serious. They knew what they were looking for and where it was, but fucking hell, desecrating a grave, that was a staircase, let alone a step more than most people were willing to do for a most anything. Christ, in his career, he had been present for fourteen exhumations, they were essential and all but one cracked the cases but each one never sat right with the man. He knew Spencer would face his own grave before letting them at his mother’s. 

 

“I won’t tell them, you know that right Kiddo?” David assured Spencer. 

 

“What if they hurt you?” David smiled at the kids concern for him, considering they had only met the day before, and the kid owed him nothing. 

 

“Let’s just concern ourselves with how we can get out of this.”

 

“The bank personnel knew.”

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“They knew. I introduced myself as Spencer Reid and they referred to me as doctor.”

 

David let out a sigh in relief. “Good. That means my team knows we’re close by.”

 

“Why didn’t they delay me at the bank?” Spencer was slightly confused. 

 

“How do you mean?” 

“I thought they would stall me, and wait for your team to arrive.” 

 

“Probably because there was only one person with you and the team would have known they could have lost the rest if they acted hastily.” David explained. 

 

“Well I let them know you’re alright.”

 

“How?”

 

“I said I had a friend waiting on me.” Spencer beamed. 

 

“You really are a genius kid.” Chuckled David shaking his head at the subtle hint Spencer had given. “Did the brainless oaf realise anything?” 

 

“No, he was too concerned about that stupid ruby.” 

 

“How much is that thing worth anyway?”

 

“Not sure, it depends on clarity, cut, carat, current diamond prices, weight.” Spencer began to ramble.

 

“Did it seem to be close to perfect?” 

 

“I thought it was fake it seemed so perfect, meaning it must be worth a small fortune. The most expensive valued coloured diamond in the world is the Hope Diamond at 350,000,000 dollars, but this is nowhere near the size, but still, it makes you wonder.”

 

“Where is it from is what I want to know. I mean a ruby valuable enough that you would kill for it can’t have just appeared from thin air, they need to have gotten it somewhere. I don’t recall any major jewellery heists from back around then, can you?” Derek pondered aloud. Spencer shook his head. “You wouldn’t have someone else hide it if you got it by legitimate means would you?”

 

They heard the arguing three men coming closer once more and silenced. The still unnamed man was questioning the others. David knew what this could mean and it spelt trouble for himself and Spencer, the group dynamic was collapsing, and Larry would have to assert dominance once more or the whole team was going to collapse. He watched as the three men entered, Donny seemed ready to destroy the youngest and most unstable member of their dynamic, and Larry seemed only too happy to let him. He looked to Spencer who seemed to have grasped the severity of the situation almost as swiftly. The young man watched silently, trying not to draw attention to himself. 

 

“Charlie, if you don’t pull it together in the next few minutes I am going to remind you why you are only a lackey in all of this.” Snapped Larry. 

“A lackey, funny since if we are ever found out for this I will be as guilty of murdering the doctor, that Fed and these two as you two fuckwits.” The third man snapped. 

 

David sighed, and in the corner of his eye, he could see that Spencer flinched, they both knew what was coming, but Charlie didn’t. Larry pulled the Colt from his belt aimed, and shot the man. David cursed the loud noise and Spencer jumped, he knew it was coming, but no doubt, the kid never realised just how loud a gunshot was. Charlie screamed grabbing his leg. 

 

“Remember your place.” Donny snarled. However, David was looking at the wounded man, then to Spencer who was staring at the blood flowing onto the floor around the fallen man. The genius was thinking the same as him; they had unintentionally hit the artery. The man would be dead within the minute. Sure enough, the crimson fluid continued to flow rapidly onto the ground, Charlie’s thrashing movements became more and more laboured and the man went pale before completely stilling. Donny and Larry seemed to grasp their error too late, and panicked. They looked at one another and the now deceased teammate lying in front of them. David knew things were only going to get worse. 

 

“What the fuck man? How did a shot to the leg kill him?” Donny demanded. Clearly the man had no concept of basic human anatomy. 

 

“You hit his femoral artery.” Spencer explained for some unknown reason. “If not cared for immediately, death is near instantaneous as you just witnessed.”

 

David was surprised, he thought the kid would faint or at least shudder fearfully at the corpse now littering the ground next to him. But then again, this was one of the men that had held them captive, the youth would; no doubt, was thinking of that too. It heighted their chances of being able to escape if possible, but now the other two were more skittish, heightening their chances of being killed, accidently or otherwise. 

 

“Zip it brain boy, unless you want a similar fate. Now, do you know where the gem is?”

 

“Could you be more specific? What gem?” Spencer played dumb. 

 

Larry walked over to him, pressing the still hot barrel of the gun to his chest, Spencer hissed slightly as the hot metal burnt his chest. 

 

“I can’t tell you if I know what you’re looking for if I don’t know what it is can I?” 

 

“A ruby, about the size of a quarter.” Larry answered still pressing the gun to Spencer’s chest. 

 

They were after the rock Spencer had thought they were. David held his breathe waiting to see what the kid would say. 

 

“My father gave something like that to my mother on a necklace, last time I saw it was covered in blood dangling from her neck after you killed her.” Spencer growled through gritted teeth. His captor’s eyes went wide. They had what they wanted in front of them that night and they never knew it. He walked away from Spencer, yelling while he placed his hands to his head. 

 

He turned swiftly and bolted back to Spencer. “Where is it now?” 

 

“You both know that moments after I arrived home, a neighbour came into the house and called the cops. Yesterday was the first time in eight years I walked around free, I have no idea what happened anything belonging to my parents and me. Anything I’d say would merely be speculation.” 

 

It was the truth, the blind could see it, sure Spencer knew where it was most likely to be, but that didn’t guarantee it was there, David knew that. He watched as Larry walked away from Spencer and over to him, cocking the gun and pointing it to David’s temple. 

 

“Are you sure?” Larry stared at Spencer, never taking his eyes off him. Donny watched carefully from the sidelines. 

 

“I was brought straight from the house to the police station then the sanatorium; I never even got to go to their funerals. I have no idea where your jewel is. I would only be guessing.”

 

“Well start guessing.” Donny roared. 

 

“A pawn shop, or maybe the undertaker took it, I mean it’s not like it’s unheard of is it?” Spencer asked as though speculating. “Then there is the fact it may have been claimed by a family member, perfectly legally. I don’t know, I was busy serving a sort of sentence for your crime.” 

 

"Be grateful it was that, your parents would have probably have preferred it.” Larry said snidely. 

 

David could see Spencer getting angry. “Well if we’re done here me may as well the cleaning house spot, say goodbye to Spencer Agent Rossi.” The man laughed manically, as he got ready to pull the trigger. 

 

“I know where it may be.” He admitted. David looked at him, he could see the resignation in Spencer’s eyes 

 

“Where?”

 

“Well I could be completely wrong, but it may be with her now. It was her favourite possession.” Spencer admitted. David was shocked, he meant something to Spencer. 

 

“In her grave?” Donny asked. Spencer nodded. The man shuddered. 

 

“Get a shovel, looks like we’re going digging Donny.”


	18. Grave Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Unsubs prepare to head to the cemetery, Spencer thinks about what is about to happen

Donny and Larry left the room, discussing what they would need to do what they were required to do to get the jewel, Larry holstering the weapon again as they walked. Spencer found himself staring blankly at the now deceased man on the floor, sadly thinking of what he had revealed to the men, and as a result, what they were going to do to his mother, and her grave, wherever it was. He assumed that she and his father were buried together. No one from his family had ever come to see him in hospital; his mother’s parents were deceased, as was her brother, and his paternal grandfather thought him guilty of the crimes he was accused of, so he never bothered with the grandson that he already thought was extremely abnormal. Nobody had ever discussed it with him, so, he genuinely had no idea. 

“Why did you tell them?” Came the husky and bewildered voice of David Rossi. 

“He was going to kill you. You know it, I know it.” Spencer explained without taking his eyes off the corpse in front of him. 

“And?”

“I couldn’t let that happen.”

“You owe me nothing Kiddo.”

“On the contrary, I owe you so much. You are the first person in eight years to treat me like a human being, to not make me feel like an absolute freak, to treat me with respect. It has been too long since I have been treated like that.”

“You know they will more than likely kill me anyway?”

“I know. I’m sorry, this is entirely my fault. But can I ask, doesn’t it scare you, the thought you might not get out of this?” Spencer found himself saying. 

“Am I scared, a small bit, but I signed up for this, you didn’t.”

“I nearly did.” He thought of the life he could have led, if he had joined the FBI and in turn the BAU, were it not for the two men who had just exited the room. 

“I can see what Jason saw in you, he and I had a tendency not to see eye to eye on a lot of things. You’re a lot tougher than you look kid. Thought I have to say, you don’t seem one bit bothered about their promise to kill you.”

“We all die.”

“So that brings me back to the point, why would you give them the information you had, it will lead them to her grave, which they seem all too happy to desecrate.”

“Because it is the right thing to do and I know she’d think the same.” Spencer was confident in his answer. “Her favourite poem of the twentieth century; was “Do not stand at my grave and weep” by Mary Elizabeth Frye. I believe she believed in the sentiment of that poem, at least I hope she did, now more than ever.”

They sound of footfalls caught their attention, and within moments, Donny was back in the room once more. “Where is she buried?”

“How the hell would I know?” snapped Spencer. “As I mentioned previously, I was stuck in sanatoriums until yesterday. 

“Both parents are buried in Saint Matthew’s cemetery, Silver Springs, Maryland.” David informed the two men, earning him looks of upmost confusion. “It was in your case file.” Was all David gave in the way of an explanation. Their tormentor left once more without another word. 

There they waited, it had been mid-afternoon when they had gone to the bank, it was at least six in the evening now. Spencer knew what they were doing, they were going to wait until nightfall, when the cemetery would be empty, and no one would see them and their horrific deed. He could hear them nearby, then after an hour, silence. He looked to Rossi, who seemed as fascinated by the lack of sound as he was. They were forced to wait longer again, before the men returned, with shovels and a pickaxe. 

Spencer had wondered were they going to be left tied to their chairs while the two men went to the cemetery, or would they dispose of them now. However, the question was answered for him when he counted three shovels. They were going to be brought along, and worse still, they were going to be forced to help. It made him want to throw up, but he refrained, if he were to be disposed of now and the jewel was not where he assumed it was, he worried about what it would mean for Agent Rossi. As much as he wanted to avoid the soon to be situation, he knew he had to at least stay around to ensure the greatest chance of the other man’s survival.

After another while, he smelt food, only then did he realise how hungry he was, he had not eaten all day, nor had Rossi, and looking at the older man, he was pretty sure he was not used to crappy hospital food. In fact, the memory of last night’s lasagne told him that he was used to the finer things, so he knew Rossi was hungry too. 

“Don’t worry about me, I was in ‘Nam, I’ve done stakeouts and I have trailed an Unsub across eight states on a twelve hour car chase, I am more than able to go a while without eating.” Smiled Rossi. Spencer cocked his head slightly wondering how the man had known what he was thinking. “Best in the business, that’s why I’m still here, remember?” 

Spencer nodded sadly. It was why this agent was here, but not the one posted outside of his home, he was just glad it was just one agent and not more. Though he was not a religious man, he found himself praying that what Rossi had said about Agent Morgan was true, that he had been wearing his Kevlar and was alright. 

He had estimated that it was approaching nine at night when the two men joined them once more. Charlie’s body had gone an odd waxy colour and what blood remained in it had pooled to the parts closest the floor giving those areas a blue-ish tinge. Spencer estimated that he had lost at least six pints of blood based on the size of the blood pool around him. The two men merely threw a tarp cover over their once companion, before each taking a captive and pushing them towards the door and back towards their SUV. Donny returned inside, Larry meanwhile, pointed the gun to Spencer’s head to keep both men under control while the other retrieved the digging materials. The shovels and axe were placed in the back seat, while the two captives were placed in the trunk again. Spencer grimaced, it was going to be an uncomfortable journey for roughly an hour. They were going to be severely bruised after this, though he knew it was the very least of their problems. 

The trunk was closed after they were covered with a stinking old piece of plastic. He heard the men get into the car and the journey began again. As suspected, the men did not take their time, he prayed the police would stop them, but knowing his luck the last thirty-six hours, he very much doubted it. They were getting closer and closer to their destination, and as they did, he tried to prepare himself for what had to be done. Morbid and horrific thoughts he never wanted to think entered his mind, the rate of decomposition in an embalmed body, what would decompose first, what it would look like, he shook his head violently to try to get the grotesque images out of his head. All he could do was plead for his mother to forgive what was about to happen and hope that death came soon after for him, he couldn’t bear the thought of everything that was going to happen. 

He looked to Rossi, barely able to make out the outline of the other man in the darkness. What had he gotten him into. He knew it was his fault the man was going to die, they would not leave him alive, he was a genius, he knew the odds of the other man surviving, he just wished he could prevent it. 

It took an hour, just as he estimated, to get to their destination. Spencer could hear one of the men getting something from the backseat of the car, he assumed it was a bolt cutter when he heard a snap and the fall of a metal chain before the sound of heavy metal gates opening and the car moving forward slowly. The sound of tyres on gravel always seemed nice to Spencer, now it was a foreboding and ominous sound. The car stopped and the doors opened. Spencer inhaled deeply preparing himself for what came next. The trunk opened and their covering removed. 

“Your friends were looking for you Agent, too bad we left their sorry asses in DC. They have no idea that they let you pass right under their noses.” Sneered Donny. Spencer’s stomach felt so heavy, they were so close to the FBI and they had never known it. He wondered would the agents ever know. 

“Now where in this shithole are they?” Larry demanded. 

“How in the name of fuck would we know that?” Rossi asked. 

“Cemeteries in this state are organised by year, find the area put aside for 2004 would be a start.” Spencer tilted his head towards the information sign beside them. Donny walked over and read it. Larry once more keeping charge of the two men with the use of a gun. 

“About four hundred meters on the left.” Stated Donny as he returned, he grabbed two shovels and pushed David in front of him. The Italian walked obediently. Looking around for the two names as they came to the right section. Spencer followed with Larry bringing up the rear. They spent twenty-five minutes searching the section before Spencer’s throat tightened as he read the headstone bearing his parents’ names, and looked down at the bare plot. It gutted him to see no wreath on their grave, no sign that even one of them was sorely missed.


	19. When I say, run. Don't look back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave is trying to find their way out of the situation at hand. Will he suceed?

David wandered almost aimlessly around the cemetery with Larry pushing into him every few steps searching for the grave of Spencer’s parents, partly praying they were not in this graveyard after all, but he knew Garcia would not have made such an error. It took a while, and he shivered slightly in the cold November air, until Donny called out that they had located it. As he was dragged to the spot that the other two men were in, he looked at the heart-wrenching look of despair on Spencer’s face. He could only sigh in pity. 

Donny had begun to use the axe to hack at the hard ground covering the small plot; Spencer winced every time the axe collided with the soil. Larry took out the gun and looked at the two men “Start digging the loose soil out of the way, one wrong move out of either of you, and I shoot the other one understood?” Both men nodded. Donny stepped off the grave and both men began to shovel the loose soil, it was hard and heavy with frost, and before long David was not feeling the cold like before. Once it was cleared, Donny began to hack at it once more and again the roles reversed. David knew it was going to be a hard and harrowing process; after all, most cemeteries buried the coffins at least five feet into the ground. It was nearly half an hour in and they were less than two feet, since the men didn’t know which side Diana was buried, they were digging up the entire plot, meaning Spencer could end up seeing both of his parent’s bodies. He shook his head at the thought. 

Still they dug, Donny and Larry taking turns as the two captives laboured continuously, though for the brief times they stopped to let one of the other men axe, the cold air made the sweat on his body chill near instantly, so he rather keep moving, though preferably not doing what he was being forced to do. He looked over to Spencer. For someone who was near skin and bone the young man worked endlessly, he could see the inner turmoil and suffering on the young man’s face, but still he continued labouring. 

Donny pulled himself out of the hole and slowly again and the two men jumped down, they continued to dig, though getting the soil out of the pit was getting more and more exhausting. They were covered in dirt from tossing it over themselves. As David placed his foot on the shovel to pick up another load it hit something, though David and from the look on Spencer’s face, he too knew what it was. It was the sound of wood. 

“Get out.” Larry demanded, pointing the gun at the two men. They obeyed immediately. “Put your shovels over there.” He indicated the grave next to them, again they obeyed without question. He handed the gun to Donny, and jumped down, David never realised he had also brought a crowbar with him. “Give me a shovel.” Donny did as asked, while also keeping the gun honed on the two men next to him. 

Something caught David’s eye at the far side of the graveyard. He looked closer, and sure enough, he saw it again. He smiled to himself and said nothing; Spencer was too occupied with the grim fate that had befallen his deceased parents to notice anything else around him. He was just grateful that it was a clear night and they were making a lot of noise. The sound of metal scraping wood filled his ears as the coffin was exposed to the elements for the first time in eight years. Then he heard the sound of the crowbar pulling at the wood and it cracking under the pressure. David looked to Spencer, who seemed to be willing tears to remain unshed. Then he looked to the far side of the graveyard once more, and breathed deeply. It was time to say something to Spencer, but how could he say anything without alerting the two men next to them. Then an idea came to him. “Cum dico currere. Neque retro aspicitis” he said confidently. Spencer just stared at him with a disbelieving look. 

“What did you just say?” demanded Donny, pointing the gun at David. 

“A small Italian prayer for their souls for what you are doing to them.” David explained, though he knew from the look on Spencer’s face that the youth knew what he had actually said. He had taken a gamble in hoping he understood Latin, and thankfully, it paid off. 

“Well keep your fucking mouth shut.” The man snapped looking into the grave, the gun aimed at Spencer’s chest.

Spencer was staring at David, wondering what he was up to. However, David gave nothing away; he didn’t want to ruin what chance they had. 

The sound of the coffin opening came to David’s ears, followed closely by swearing. They had clearly opened William’s as opposed to Diana’s. Though the man was an out and out asshole, his final resting place did not deserve to be disturbed. After the initial swearing, David heard the shovel going again and it hitting the other coffin, he took a breath, Donny was looking into the pit, not paying much heed to the two men. David looked to Spencer, and nodded tilting his head to the side to indicate which direction to go in, and with that, they sprinted. 

David headed straight for the largest and most plentiful headstones, using them for cover from the gunshots he could now hear coming from behind them. Spencer yelped in fright, but remained right behind him. They were a good 300 yards away when he decided to duck down behind a large, thick tombstone. Both men were exhausted and gasping for breath. 

“You okay kiddo?” 

“I got a bullet graze to my arm, but a few stitches and I’ll be fine.” He took a moment to catch his breath. “What the hell was that?”

“Our ‘get out of jail free card’” David joked.

“I never really like monopoly.” He laughed at the younger man’s comment before looking at him and seeing the look of sheer terror on his face. He looked around, thinking they were caught again, when he realised Spencer was looking at him, and more to the point his side. It was then the pain hit, a burning sensation across his side, he looked down, the white shirt that had been stained in sweat and earth was now crimson and torn, he pulled the shirt aside and looked at it, a graze too, but a deep one. He cursed the two bastards and sat back, hissing in pain. “They’re going to get us.”

“No, they’re not.” 

“How can you be so sure?” 

David smiled and looked next to Spencer, before pointing. 

“Wow I thought the last twenty four hours had me looking like shit. It appears I got off lightly.” 

There, standing three feet from them, breathing heavily, was Derek Morgan.

“You sound like you wouldn’t pass the fitness test if your life depended on it.” joked Rossi as he teammate aided him to his feet. 

“Well if you pass it, you know the grade ain’t too high, besides I got shot three times in the chest at close range and four bruised ribs for my trouble.”

“You had Kevlar”

“Your point?”

“Well we have actually been shot, not to mention starved, sleep deprived, forced to dig up not one, but two graves and tossed around the back of an SUV like a salad. And let’s not even get started on the less physically demanding stuff” David growled, pointing to the two gunshot wounds. 

“Alright, you win. Like I said, I think I got off lightly.” Derek held up his hands in defeat.

“Damn straight.” He began the journey back to his now collected teammates slowly, hearing Spencer bolt and trip over rocks until he was right behind him once more. He looked around at the frightened man and smiled. “We got through it kid.”

“Just like you promised.” The younger smiled. 

“A bit worse for wear though.”

“Par for the course though right?”

“You cannot seriously be a golfing fan.” Derek laughed in disbelief as he caught up with the two exhausted men. 

“No, just using the saying. I’m sorry I got you shot.”

“Listen man, I’m the one who should be apologising to you. I was supposed to stop them getting to you and I didn’t, I’m sorry.” The man apologised to a bewildered Spencer, who just stared from him to David and back again, causing David to laugh. 

“Take the apology, he doesn’t hand them out often enough.”

They made it to the rest of the team and the now handcuffed Larry. David looked around and saw Donny lying next to the mound of earth, with two bullet wounds to the chest and one to the head. 

“I have an idea, how about we take him back to headquarters in the trunk, a bit of karma for our day.” 

“Dave, the only place you and Dr Reid are going to are a hospital.” One look at Spencer’s face and the SAC added, “A regular one Dr Reid, just to get you checked out. We’ll ensure it.” 

“Don’t worry kiddo, I’ve got your back.” David winked at Spencer, the young man relaxing immediately at the gesture. 

JJ and Blake went over to Spencer and helped him to the ambulance, Hotch and Morgan aiding the less able David. Two LEO’s took Larry while another stayed behind with Donny’s body waiting for the ME and the undertaker to deal with the situation within the grave. 

“Did they open both or just one?” Spencer asked, though David was unsure if he even knew why he was asking.

“Come on sweetie, you don’t need to see it.” JJ tried to usher him away as she spoke.

“It was just one.” Blake answered. Satisfied, Spencer walked with them. 

As they made their way to the awaiting ambulances, David found himself checking behind him constantly to look for the younger man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N last chapter tomorrow/Saturday. 
> 
> Cum dico, currere. Neque retro aspicitis; is the Latin for; When I say, run. Don’t look back. My Latin is a little rusty; I haven’t studied it in a few years, so apologies if I made a mistake.


	20. Hospital, Home and One Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the whole thing, Spencer decides what he wants to do with his life.

The next morning Spencer sat on the hospital bed, his arm bandaged, and his cuts and bruises checked. He was suffering from shakes, but apparently, that was a mixture of coming down from the adrenaline his body had been surviving on the past few days and his body adapting to the last forty-eight hours without anti-psychotic medications, which were forced into him for the past few years. All the time Agent Morgan stood guard outside the room. Spencer knew what that was about, he felt guilty for not having protected Spencer as he felt he should have two nights previous. As promised, the agents had brought him to a regular hospital and currently he was waiting the okay from the doctor to be discharged, though he had no idea what to do when he left. The analysis by the doctors in Quantico was still standing so apart from having to go to therapy for his PTSD, he was very much a free man. 

Agent Morgan had informed him of everything happening with Rossi as he was updated by his team, but apart from those times and the two times Spencer had called him in to ask for water and another blanket, the agent had stayed outside the door, leaving him alone to think of everything that had happened. 

The doctor arrived soon after and once he signed the discharge forms, he bid Spencer farewell and told him to get changed. Spencer froze; he had nothing to change into. Luckily, it appeared that the BAU were used to impromptu hospital visits and at some stage Agent Blake had went to Rossi’s house and gotten clothes belonging to the two men. Spencer’s comprising of the clothes agent Morgan had purchased on his behalf. He took a quick shower and got into the outfit, something he would never in a million years have bought himself, and headed out of the room. 

“They seem a good fit if I may say so myself.” Smiled the strong agent. 

“I would never have bought these.” He found himself admitting, hoping the other man would not take offense. 

“What would be more you’re style then?” 

“Shirt, tie, corduroys, cardigan, converse.”

“You’re twenty-four, not fifty. Come on, let’s go see how Rossi is doing.” Laughed the older man. On hearing the name of the man who saved his life, Spencer stood to attention and followed Morgan down the corridor. 

They arrived to a room and before ever setting foot inside, Spencer knew, it was the right one. “What do you mean three weeks leave? It was a scratch and a few bumps to the head Aaron.” 

“Dave calm down, it’s the best I could do; Strauss wanted you to retire again.”

“I’d like to see her fucking try!” 

“Look, use it to relax and start another book.” 

“Hmmph. How’s the Kid?” 

“Right here and as right as rain.” Declared Morgan as the two men entered the room, Spencer was several steps behind and nervous. 

“You look different.” Laughed David, looking at Spencer and the clothes then turned to Derek. “What have you done to him?”

“What, he looks fashionable, cut most of this off.” He flicked Spencer’s hair “and who knows, he could have most the nurse’s numbers leaving this place, right Pretty Boy?” 

Spencer’s face glowed bright red at the nickname the other man had given him. He wondered at first was he mocking him, but his face just seemed playful, so he smiled awkwardly. 

“Agent Rossi?” A doctor asked entering the room, getting everyone’s attention. “I am going to give you the once over and see if we can get you out of here.” 

“Thank Christ.” The Italian exclaimed, though going by the look on the doctor’s face, she was thinking the same thing. The three other men left the room as the woman began her work, only to come face to face with the voluptuous and bright woman Spencer was convinced was named either Gomez or Garcia. 

“Hello my sweets, ooh, look at you Boy Wonder.” Her eyes darting up and down Spencer and the clothes he was wearing. Spencer wondered why these people insisted on giving him the most ridiculous nicknames, though he was grateful that for the first time in his life, none were meant in an offensive manner. 

“You should tell Rossi you approve, apparently I ruined him.” 

“Nonsense, I think he looks marvellous, though maybe if we sorted his…” 

“Will you both leave the man alone.” Hotchner interjected, pinching his nose. Spencer was grateful at least one of the agents was not going to harass him about his hair. It was longer than he usually kept it, even before the institutions, but only by a few inches. 

“Righto Boss Man. Here you go darling, I hope you like cookies.” The blonde tech beamed handing Spencer a substantially sized box. He took it, but looked to Agent Hotchner who gave him the faintest of nods from behind the overly energetic woman. 

He smiled politely. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime sweet cheeks.” 

“What about me? I got shot three times in the chest.” Derek asked indignantly. “Oh I get it, you’re trading up, going for a younger model. I never thought getting him those clothes would come back to bite me so hard in the ass.” 

“Oh my delectable Chocolate Thunder, you know you’re the only one for me, though I wouldn’t mind showing 187 here the ropes too.” Spencer froze in shock at the woman’s insinuations. 

“Garcia, stop terrifying him before he gets a cab right back to that hellhole, at least in there it was easy to tell who was mad” barked Rossi, walking out of the hospital room fully dressed. Going by the searching faces on all of those present, no one had seen the doctor leave. “Let’s get out of here.” Spencer looked to the floor, not knowing where he was even to go. “Kiddo?” he looked up to the man calling him. “I know the last time you came to my home, it didn’t work out too well for you, but you are welcome back until we get you sorted.” 

“Sorted?” 

“Patrick ‘Larry’ Sawyer has officially been charged with our kidnappings, Morgan’s attempted murder, Charlie’s, Dr Mitre’s and your parents murders. His father isn’t far behind with conspiracy to commit murder and the ordering of your parents deaths. You are officially a free man and all charges dropped, your parent’s life insurance policies are yours; you also have the house and anything else in your parent’s names.”

“Yes but one thing.” Hotch interrupted. “Your paternal grandfather spent the money.”

“It was in the kid’s name.” Rossi snarled. 

“He argued it was for his care, clearly he lied.” Hotch expanded. 

Spencer could see Rossi getting angry, his jaw was clenching. “Don’t worry about it.” the young man shrugged earning him baffled looks. “It’s just money, I will earn my own.” 

Rossi nodded. “It’s up to you.”

“I can really stay at your house?”

“Until you get on your feet, these things take a few weeks, but don’t worry, you have a qualified lawyer and a man with great investment knowledge.” Spencer cocked his head slightly and scrunched his eyebrows. “Your mother’s shares. We will make sure they get you able to do whatever you want.” Spencer nodded at the idea. “Now let’s get out of this place and get a good meal, any requests?”

“Burger!” proclaimed Morgan. 

“No one is stopping you.”

“Ah come on Rossi, a good barbeque, you have the space.” Morgan suggested. 

The eldest profiler thought for a moment, before sighing, “Fine, you know what we need.” The youngest of the field agents grinned and winked before leaving. 

“Eek, I better go bake more food, my Italian Stallion, these are for you. I will have more ready for later.” Shrieked the woman before she bolted for the door. Spencer had to admit he was impressed at the speed she was walking at considering the size of her shoes, which he was sure were more than likely uncomfortable. 

“Well then.” Rossi help up the time of cookies, handing them to Agent Hotchner. “I think Jack will make short work of them.” 

“Excellent, I am bringing him to your place to burn off the sugar rush.” He informed his friend, who just smiled back. 

They walked out of the hospital, Spencer following closely, but refusing to walk beside the men, Rossi looked over his shoulder occasionally to ensure he was still there.

Hotch drove the two men to the elder’s home, and promised to be back soon. Rossi walked in and noticed the house was not in the same level of disarray as two nights previous. The hall table was in its original position and the broken vase had been cleared away. He had no doubt, when they went upstairs, the two bedrooms would be tidied too. 

“What do you want to do Kiddo?”

“I may see if there was anything in the bag of clothes agent Morgan bought that doesn’t make me look like this.” The young man was looking down at the clothes he was wearing and earned a chuckle from Rossi. 

“Doubt it. Since I am stuck on leave for three weeks, I’ll organise for you to get something more to your own tastes during the week, while we are dealing with getting you what is rightfully yours.” Spencer nodded and smiled slightly at the gesture and concern of the man. 

All too soon, the entire of the team arrived, Spencer found himself shyly trying to avoid them all, there was only seven of them, but the blonde profiler brought her husband and you son, as did Agent Hotchner. It was one thing trying not to be nervous around other adults, but around children and Rossi’s two dogs, he felt it was all too much and hid in the bedroom. 

It did not take long for his presence to be missed and he heard a knock on the door of the room. “Reid, you in there?” he sighed an opened the door, on the other side was Rossi. “You alright?” Spencer nodded. “Clearly.” The older man walked into the room. “Well, do I need to ask again?”

“There’s so many.” He felt as though he was foolish for even saying it. 

“Spencer, it’ll take time to readjust to society after everything, what better way to start than with people who actually understand what you’ve been through and who will not judge you for it. Besides, Morgan is feeling guilty for what happened and wants to make it up to you by feeding you a year’s supply of protein in one sitting.”

“I rather more of those cookies.” He admitted shyly. 

“What happened the ones Garcia gave you earlier?” Spencer looked to the bedside locker and the open, empty tin. “Sweet Jesus, there was about twenty cookies in that.”

“Fifteen only.” Corrected the younger. 

“How will you ever survive?” he joked putting his arm around Spencer carefully “Come on, everyone is looking to see how you are.” 

“Who tidied the rooms?” 

“That would be JJ; she’s the blonde with the kid.”

Spencer froze as he remembered the two youths. “Children don’t like me.” 

“How do you mean?” David asked curiously. 

“They cry around me, dogs bark at me too.” He explained. 

“Well I doubt it, but why don’t you prove me wrong by coming down and meeting Jack and Henry.” Spencer couldn’t help but laugh at the less than subtle way Agent Rossi tried to get him to consider going back downstairs, he obliged anyway. 

As it happened, Henry adored him to the extent the four year old followed him like a second shadow. He made the fatal error of showing the youngster a magic trick and as a result, the child was requesting another one every so often, though the man was happy to oblige. The four year old didn’t ask awkward questions, he just asked him his name and to do more tricks. The older child, Agent Hotchner’s son, was a little more suspicious of strangers, but Spencer heard he lost his mother to a serial killer three years previous, so he could relate in some way to the child. 

The food did not last long and everyone was tired. They began to disperse to their own homes, telling Rossi they would see him back in work soon and wishing Spencer well in whatever he did. Exhaustion took over both men soon after they finished cleaning after everyone. 

“Kiddo, I am bushwhacked, I am going to hit the sack, tomorrow we have to go to a good lawyer for you and sort out what we can.” 

Spencer thanked Rossi and decided that he too needed a good night’s sleep. He went to the room and settled under the covers safe in the knowledge he was finally safe. 

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

One year later

“Cadet Reid, just tackle Cadet Sanchez, it’s not that hard. Just use that brain of yours to look for a weakness and utilise it.” Called Agent Morgan from the sideline. It was the motivation the young agent needed, after weeks of Morgan giving him lessons in private; he was starting to see the strategy behind it all, though he still despised it. He sighed as he did his best to tackle the other man, who was four inches shorter, but had about thirty pounds on him. His speed was what prevented the other man from getting a grip, though his lack of grace meant that when he lunged for the other man it was a sheer fluke he even collided with him. “Excellent work, we’ll leave it at that for today. Reid, a word.”

Spencer sighed as he walked over to his mentor. “Nice work Pretty Boy.” Even after a year, the name seemed odd to him. “So Garcia and I were doing a bit of recon, and if you pass your firearms next week, you’re sorted. Over a full year before any other cadet, I think that’s some sort of record. Might have to ask Rossi, since he’s been here since the time of the dinosaurs. You okay on firearms?” 

“If you’re asking have I shot Hotch yet, the answers no, though I think he may be fit to shoot me for how irritating I am being.”

“Nonsense, he wants you on the team as much as the rest of us. He got Strauss on side too, you know, the Section Chief we were telling you about.” 

“Yeah, what was it Rossi calls her, The Harpy?” 

“That’s her.” The older confirmed. “Well she is a bit of a politics person, so having a certified genius in her unit, picked by more than one of the best in the business means she can parade around the upper circles of this place with her head even higher in the air.”

“Even if I was deemed mentally unfit for a period.” 

“Only because of your stellar acting skills. Relax man, you’ve gone through the counselling and you’ve gotten through the Psych Eval for this place, so long as you go to the mandatory sessions we are all forced to do every few weeks, you’re good. And as Rossi always says, we’ve got your back.”

“Speaking of which, I promised him I would go to his for dinner tonight.”

“He’s back from the book tour, how do you know this before his teammate does?”

“Because I helped write the book, so I know the tour dates.”

“I cannot believe you two got everything regarding your finances sorted within three weeks and wrote a book, that is damn impressive. Speaking of which, if you are now worth the money Hotch and Rossi let slip you are from said book, Bonds, Shares and Life insurance, why do you want to work here? If it were me I would be chilling in Miami, couple of Honeys and more than a couple Margaritas.” Spencer laughed at the daydreaming look on his friends face. 

“Because behind it all you know you would never rest knowing that there are people in the world like Donny Thompson and Larry Sawyer.” 

“There are far more than them man, but you’re right. Knowing there are more out there makes me never want to leave my desk. Still though, Thompson and that third guy are dead and Sawyer Senior and Junior will never see the light of day again. I know it doesn’t bring your parents back, but it’s something.” 

“The night of the barbeque after Rossi and I were released from hospital was the first night I slept peacefully since the night my parents were killed, knowing they could never get me.” 

“Rossi said you didn’t even wake the next day, you slept through.” Spencer nodded his confirmation. 

“I better go meet him actually. Thanks Morgan.”

Spencer pulled up his car outside of Rossi’s house. He had only spent a few weeks there, but it still comforted him to see the extravagant house, and deep down he missed the place. He had a key; Rossi wanted him to feel he always had somewhere safe to go. Soon they were going to be on the same team; at least he was well used to the other man’s gruff attitude. He wondered how LEO’s and Unsubs reacted towards it. 

He rang the doorbell and used the key, Rossi always wondered why he did it, but after a while, he just ignored the ritual completely, knowing it was just a quirk of the younger man. “Just in time, as usual. You should give Morgan lessons in punctuality.” The Italian embraced him tightly. He hated too much contact, but Rossi never seemed to even pay attention to it.

“I’m sure he’d appreciate that. How was the tour?”

“Good. Actually too good. My publisher got onto me, she wants us to write another book soon, both of us. Apparently, there is a niche for a teaching book to train other countries law enforcement and she wants us to fill it, me with experience, and you with your random statistics and other things you seem to know about everything. What do you think?” 

Spencer took the bowl of ravioli the other man had just handed him. “Sounds alright, but apparently next week’s firearms exam is all I need to get out of the academy and into the BAU, will we have time?”

“Not sure to be honest. There’s only one way to find out though. So you passed hand to hand combat, who did Morgan have to pay off?” 

“Dunno, and don’t care, it’s done and as far as I’m concerned I never want to recall it again. Though the memory thing kinda stops that.” 

“Well the sentence was passed today, five life sentences for Sawyer and a sixty year sentence for daddy, that’s something to celebrate Kid.” Spencer nodded in agreement. 

Ten days later, Spencer got to meet the harpy herself as she showed him to his desk in the BAU, and he concurred with his friend’s analysis. No sooner was she gone and Garcia and dragged him to Rossi’s office, inside was a table filled with cakes, coffee and for some reason a present. 

“Just to say well done my darling Boy Wonder.” She kissed both of his cheeks, causing two large lips stains, which Morgan laughed at while JJ cleaned them off. 

Spencer’s face was bright red with embarrassment. “You didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense, this is as much for us having an excuse to eat cake as it is for you.” Dismissed Blake smilingly as she went straight for a cinnamon frosted cupcake. The team began to ascend on the confectionaries as Spencer opened the gift. A leather satchel containing his credentials. He found himself smiling at the horrendous picture on the plastic card reading SSA Dr Spencer Reid.


End file.
